Fluoride
Fitchburg Utility District 1
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.
Samples
Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)
Samples exceeding
health guidelines
Testing results - average by year
| Year | Average result | Samples taken | Detections | Range of results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | N/A | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| 2014 | 0.600 ppm | 28 | 28 | 0.0773 ppm - 0.811 ppm |
| 2015 | 0.723 ppm | 24 | 24 | 0.574 ppm - 0.870 ppm |
| 2016 | 0.696 ppm | 24 | 24 | 0.452 ppm - 0.810 ppm |
| 2017 | 0.638 ppm | 28 | 28 | 0.0890 ppm - 0.850 ppm |
| 2018 | 0.712 ppm | 24 | 24 | 0.614 ppm - 0.890 ppm |
| 2019 | 0.735 ppm | 24 | 24 | 0.646 ppm - 0.860 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 | 115333001 | 0.700 ppm |
| 2014-01-08 | 115333001 | 0.809 ppm |
| 2014-02-05 | 118668001 | 0.617 ppm |
| 2014-02-05 | 118668001 | 0.680 ppm |
| 2014-03-05 | 122114001 | 0.583 ppm |
| 2014-03-05 | 122114001 | 0.670 ppm |
| 2014-04-16 | 128039001 | 0.710 ppm |
| 2014-04-16 | 128039001 | 0.753 ppm |
| 2014-05-13 | 132133001 | 0.700 ppm |
| 2014-05-13 | 132133001 | 0.795 ppm |
| 2014-06-04 | 136809001 | 0.700 ppm |
| 2014-06-04 | 136809001 | 0.811 ppm |
| 2014-07-01 | 142410001 | 0.737 ppm |
| 2014-07-01 | 142410001 | 0.750 ppm |
| 2014-08-13 | 151159001 | 0.559 ppm |
| 2014-08-13 | 151159001 | 0.650 ppm |
| 2014-08-19 | 152041001 | 0.0773 ppm |
| 2014-08-19 | 152041003 | 0.0828 ppm |
| 2014-08-19 | 152074001 | 0.0853 ppm |
| 2014-08-19 | 152041002 | 0.0893 ppm |
| 2014-09-03 | 154778001 | 0.662 ppm |
| 2014-09-03 | 154778001 | 0.670 ppm |
| 2014-10-01 | 160942001 | 0.632 ppm |
| 2014-10-01 | 160942001 | 0.750 ppm |
| 2014-11-05 | 167244001 | 0.599 ppm |
| 2014-11-05 | 167244001 | 0.670 ppm |
| 2014-12-03 | 171002001 | 0.545 ppm |
| 2014-12-03 | 171002001 | 0.710 ppm |
| 2015-01-07 | 174828001 | 0.696 ppm |
| 2015-01-07 | 174828001 | 0.750 ppm |
| 2015-02-03 | 177919001 | 0.702 ppm |
| 2015-02-03 | 177919001 | 0.800 ppm |
| 2015-03-19 | 184338001 | 0.690 ppm |
| 2015-03-19 | 184338001 | 0.693 ppm |
| 2015-04-15 | 188136001 | 0.678 ppm |
| 2015-04-15 | 188136001 | 0.770 ppm |
| 2015-05-05 | 191263001 | 0.574 ppm |
| 2015-05-05 | 191263001 | 0.680 ppm |
| 2015-06-02 | 197032001 | 0.670 ppm |
| 2015-06-02 | 197032001 | 0.685 ppm |
| 2015-07-15 | 205895001 | 0.708 ppm |
| 2015-07-15 | 205895001 | 0.780 ppm |
| 2015-08-03 | 209030001 | 0.728 ppm |
| 2015-08-03 | 209030001 | 0.870 ppm |
| 2015-09-08 | 215718001 | 0.713 ppm |
| 2015-09-08 | 215718001 | 0.740 ppm |
| 2015-10-19 | 224269001 | 0.710 ppm |
| 2015-10-19 | 224269001 | 0.740 ppm |
| 2015-11-02 | 226262001 | 0.770 ppm |
| 2015-11-02 | 226262001 | 0.802 ppm |
| 2015-12-01 | 230378001 | 0.680 ppm |
| 2015-12-01 | 230378001 | 0.733 ppm |
| 2016-01-05 | 234428001 | 0.709 ppm |
| 2016-01-05 | 234428001 | 0.710 ppm |
| 2016-02-01 | 237685001 | 0.660 ppm |
| 2016-02-01 | 237685001 | 0.719 ppm |
| 2016-03-01 | 241566001 | 0.672 ppm |
| 2016-03-01 | 241566001 | 0.770 ppm |
| 2016-04-18 | 249030001 | 0.640 ppm |
| 2016-04-18 | 249030001 | 0.655 ppm |
| 2016-05-02 | 251507001 | 0.700 ppm |
| 2016-05-02 | 251507001 | 0.712 ppm |
| 2016-06-06 | 257965001 | 0.700 ppm |
| 2016-06-06 | 257965001 | 0.724 ppm |
| 2016-07-11 | 264951001 | 0.640 ppm |
| 2016-07-11 | 264951001 | 0.740 ppm |
| 2016-08-01 | 269234001 | 0.718 ppm |
| 2016-08-01 | 269234001 | 0.810 ppm |
| 2016-09-12 | 276570001 | 0.452 ppm |
| 2016-09-12 | 276570001 | 0.780 ppm |
| 2016-10-10 | 282858001 | 0.660 ppm |
| 2016-10-10 | 282858001 | 0.715 ppm |
| 2016-11-01 | 286609001 | 0.670 ppm |
| 2016-11-01 | 286609001 | 0.670 ppm |
| 2016-12-06 | 291504001 | 0.690 ppm |
| 2016-12-06 | 291504001 | 0.779 ppm |
| 2017-01-03 | 294545001 | 0.713 ppm |
| 2017-01-03 | 294545001 | 0.740 ppm |
| 2017-02-06 | 298491001 | 0.778 ppm |
| 2017-02-06 | 298491001 | 0.790 ppm |
| 2017-03-06 | 302263001 | 0.770 ppm |
| 2017-03-06 | 302263001 | 0.798 ppm |
| 2017-04-10 | 308582001 | 0.670 ppm |
| 2017-04-10 | 308582001 | 0.688 ppm |
| 2017-05-02 | 313099001 | 0.750 ppm |
| 2017-05-02 | 313099001 | 0.756 ppm |
| 2017-06-12 | 320925001 | 0.682 ppm |
| 2017-06-12 | 320925001 | 0.700 ppm |
| 2017-07-17 | 328684001 | 0.790 ppm |
| 2017-07-17 | 328684001 | 0.819 ppm |
| 2017-07-19 | 1005312 | 0.0890 ppm |
| 2017-07-19 | 1005315 | 0.0930 ppm |
| 2017-07-19 | 1005318 | 0.1000 ppm |
| 2017-07-19 | 1005321 | 0.120 ppm |
| 2017-08-01 | 332389001 | 0.690 ppm |
| 2017-08-01 | 332389001 | 0.691 ppm |
| 2017-09-11 | 340855001 | 0.644 ppm |
| 2017-09-11 | 340855001 | 0.750 ppm |
| 2017-10-16 | 348898001 | 0.735 ppm |
| 2017-10-16 | 348898001 | 0.850 ppm |
| 2017-11-06 | 352451001 | 0.654 ppm |
| 2017-11-06 | 352451001 | 0.660 ppm |
| 2017-12-11 | 358464001 | 0.613 ppm |
| 2017-12-11 | 358464001 | 0.740 ppm |
| 2018-01-16 | 362833001 | 0.614 ppm |
| 2018-01-16 | 362833001 | 0.890 ppm |
| 2018-02-13 | 366709001 | 0.621 ppm |
| 2018-02-13 | 366709001 | 0.700 ppm |
| 2018-03-05 | 369288001 | 0.660 ppm |
| 2018-03-05 | 369288001 | 0.690 ppm |
| 2018-04-16 | 376431001 | 0.673 ppm |
| 2018-04-16 | 376431001 | 0.790 ppm |
| 2018-05-07 | 380070001 | 0.660 ppm |
| 2018-05-07 | 380070001 | 0.681 ppm |
| 2018-06-04 | 385759001 | 0.685 ppm |
| 2018-06-04 | 385759001 | 0.710 ppm |
| 2018-07-09 | 392562001 | 0.754 ppm |
| 2018-07-09 | 392562001 | 0.760 ppm |
| 2018-08-06 | 398706001 | 0.679 ppm |
| 2018-08-06 | 398706001 | 0.890 ppm |
| 2018-09-10 | 406020001 | 0.643 ppm |
| 2018-09-10 | 406020001 | 0.880 ppm |
| 2018-10-15 | 414267001 | 0.715 ppm |
| 2018-10-15 | 414267001 | 0.730 ppm |
| 2018-11-12 | 419134001 | 0.640 ppm |
| 2018-11-12 | 419134001 | 0.680 ppm |
| 2018-12-10 | 423202001 | 0.650 ppm |
| 2018-12-10 | 423202001 | 0.690 ppm |
| 2019-01-08 | 426644001 | 0.687 ppm |
| 2019-01-08 | 426644001 | 0.770 ppm |
| 2019-02-05 | 430048001 | 0.646 ppm |
| 2019-02-05 | 430048001 | 0.810 ppm |
| 2019-03-12 | 434925001 | 0.683 ppm |
| 2019-03-12 | 434925001 | 0.760 ppm |
| 2019-04-18 | 441293001 | 0.730 ppm |
| 2019-04-18 | 441293001 | 0.819 ppm |
| 2019-05-06 | 443766001 | 0.683 ppm |
| 2019-05-06 | 443766001 | 0.770 ppm |
| 2019-06-04 | 449418001 | 0.658 ppm |
| 2019-06-04 | 449418001 | 0.860 ppm |
| 2019-07-09 | 456216001 | 0.652 ppm |
| 2019-07-09 | 456216001 | 0.830 ppm |
| 2019-08-19 | 464364001 | 0.739 ppm |
| 2019-08-19 | 464364001 | 0.740 ppm |
| 2019-09-09 | 468173001 | 0.680 ppm |
| 2019-09-09 | 468173001 | 0.701 ppm |
| 2019-10-14 | 476028001 | 0.720 ppm |
| 2019-10-14 | 476028001 | 0.737 ppm |
| 2019-11-18 | 481855001 | 0.730 ppm |
| 2019-11-18 | 481855001 | 0.730 ppm |
| 2019-12-09 | 484929001 | 0.707 ppm |
| 2019-12-09 | 484929001 | 0.790 ppm |