Fluoride
City of Columbus
Fluoride occurs naturally in surface and groundwater and is also added to drinking water by many water systems. Read More.
Fluoride has been promoted as a chemical that reduces dental cavities. Yet it is now well-established that fluoride primarily exerts its protective effects through topical mechanisms, such as sodium fluoride in toothpaste and mouthwash. In contrast, long-term ingestion of fluoride in water increases dental fluorosis, which includes mottling, pitting and weakening of the teeth. EPA's maximum legal limit is set at 4 parts per million (ppm) to prevent skeletal fluorosis, a condition where bones become brittle and more susceptible to fractures, although these effects may occur at lower doses.
Even fluoride levels of 0.7 ppm, the amount of fluoride in drinking water recommended by the U.S. Public Health Service, can result in too much fluoride for bottle-fed babies. EWG recommends that caregivers mix baby formula with fluoride-free water. The National Toxicology Program is investigating the potential for low doses of fluoride to alter thyroid function and childhood brain development.
Testing results - average by year
Year | Average result | Samples taken | Detections | Range of results |
---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | 0.792 ppm | 12 | 12 | 0.746 ppm - 0.846 ppm |
2015 | 0.757 ppm | 14 | 14 | 0.285 ppm - 0.892 ppm |
2016 | 0.785 ppm | 12 | 12 | 0.718 ppm - 0.873 ppm |
2017 | 0.714 ppm | 12 | 12 | 0.636 ppm - 0.815 ppm |
2018 | 0.721 ppm | 13 | 13 | 0.357 ppm - 0.850 ppm |
2019 | 0.755 ppm | 12 | 12 | 0.655 ppm - 0.830 ppm |
ppm = parts per million
State and national drinking water standards and health guidelines
EPA Maximum Contaminant
Level (MCL) 4 ppm
ppm = parts per million
All test results
Date | Lab ID | Result |
---|---|---|
2014-01-08 | 279664 | 0.750 ppm |
2014-02-06 | 284946 | 0.767 ppm |
2014-03-05 | 288937 | 0.766 ppm |
2014-04-16 | 292216 | 0.746 ppm |
2014-05-06 | 298023 | 0.766 ppm |
2014-06-04 | 304286 | 0.843 ppm |
2014-07-09 | 310448 | 0.824 ppm |
2014-08-06 | 315817 | 0.823 ppm |
2014-09-03 | 321654 | 0.753 ppm |
2014-10-06 | 326462 | 0.846 ppm |
2014-11-05 | 333870 | 0.790 ppm |
2014-12-03 | 337508 | 0.833 ppm |
2015-01-05 | 342899 | 0.686 ppm |
2015-01-08 | 341420 | 0.789 ppm |
2015-02-03 | 347021 | 0.853 ppm |
2015-03-04 | 349963 | 0.717 ppm |
2015-04-08 | 354901 | 0.727 ppm |
2015-05-06 | 362491 | 0.721 ppm |
2015-06-03 | 366947 | 0.728 ppm |
2015-07-08 | 371028 | 0.833 ppm |
2015-07-20 | 376951 | 0.285 ppm |
2015-08-04 | 379281 | 0.775 ppm |
2015-09-02 | 384710 | 0.892 ppm |
2015-10-05 | 389611 | 0.888 ppm |
2015-11-04 | 396561 | 0.854 ppm |
2015-12-09 | 400617 | 0.856 ppm |
2016-01-06 | 0.767 ppm | |
2016-02-04 | 0.738 ppm | |
2016-03-09 | 0.785 ppm | |
2016-04-06 | 0.758 ppm | |
2016-05-04 | 0.776 ppm | |
2016-06-07 | 0.816 ppm | |
2016-07-06 | 0.821 ppm | |
2016-08-03 | 0.873 ppm | |
2016-09-07 | 0.822 ppm | |
2016-10-03 | 0.718 ppm | |
2016-11-03 | 0.804 ppm | |
2016-12-06 | 0.741 ppm | |
2017-01-04 | 0.770 ppm | |
2017-02-06 | 0.679 ppm | |
2017-03-08 | 0.769 ppm | |
2017-04-03 | 0.797 ppm | |
2017-05-02 | 0.687 ppm | |
2017-06-06 | 0.685 ppm | |
2017-07-05 | 0.636 ppm | |
2017-08-07 | 0.676 ppm | |
2017-09-05 | 0.689 ppm | |
2017-10-09 | 0.815 ppm | |
2017-11-08 | 0.638 ppm | |
2017-12-04 | 0.728 ppm | |
2018-01-02 | 529540 | 0.749 ppm |
2018-01-16 | 532197 | 0.367 ppm |
2018-02-06 | 535107 | 0.745 ppm |
2018-03-08 | 538701 | 0.773 ppm |
2018-04-09 | 541777 | 0.802 ppm |
2018-05-07 | 548009 | 0.778 ppm |
2018-07-02 | 557916 | 0.795 ppm |
2018-07-09 | 561797 | 0.357 ppm |
2018-08-06 | 565667 | 0.828 ppm |
2018-09-05 | 569999 | 0.850 ppm |
2018-10-08 | 575833 | 0.771 ppm |
2018-11-07 | 581365 | 0.761 ppm |
2018-12-04 | 585320 | 0.799 ppm |
2019-01-07 | 588625 | 0.776 ppm |
2019-02-05 | 594042 | 0.830 ppm |
2019-03-05 | 597552 | 0.772 ppm |
2019-04-01 | 601266 | 0.772 ppm |
2019-05-06 | 608866 | 0.796 ppm |
2019-06-03 | 612904 | 0.793 ppm |
2019-07-01 | 618298 | 0.725 ppm |
2019-08-05 | 626556 | 0.782 ppm |
2019-09-03 | 630892 | 0.757 ppm |
2019-10-07 | 636072 | 0.655 ppm |
2019-11-04 | 642859 | 0.700 ppm |
2019-12-03 | 648229 | 0.698 ppm |