Fluoride
Beaver Dam Water Utility
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 0.730 ppm | 25 | 25 | 0.588 ppm - 0.930 ppm |
| 2015 | 0.747 ppm | 24 | 24 | 0.630 ppm - 0.865 ppm |
| 2016 | 0.645 ppm | 22 | 22 | 0.498 ppm - 0.884 ppm |
| 2017 | 0.648 ppm | 25 | 25 | 0.580 ppm - 0.802 ppm |
| 2018 | 0.658 ppm | 24 | 24 | 0.580 ppm - 0.800 ppm |
| 2019 | 0.618 ppm | 24 | 24 | 0.520 ppm - 0.710 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2014-01-13 | 116038001 | 0.670 ppm |
| 2014-01-13 | 116038001 | 0.671 ppm |
| 2014-02-18 | 360595 | 0.680 ppm |
| 2014-02-18 | 120133001 | 0.760 ppm |
| 2014-02-18 | 120133001 | 0.760 ppm |
| 2014-03-17 | 123761001 | 0.588 ppm |
| 2014-03-17 | 123761001 | 0.700 ppm |
| 2014-04-16 | 128124001 | 0.665 ppm |
| 2014-04-16 | 128124001 | 0.670 ppm |
| 2014-05-27 | 135195001 | 0.720 ppm |
| 2014-05-27 | 135195001 | 0.766 ppm |
| 2014-06-10 | 138426001 | 0.641 ppm |
| 2014-06-10 | 138426001 | 0.700 ppm |
| 2014-07-21 | 146617001 | 0.670 ppm |
| 2014-07-21 | 146617001 | 0.682 ppm |
| 2014-08-11 | 150655001 | 0.680 ppm |
| 2014-08-11 | 150655001 | 0.734 ppm |
| 2014-09-15 | 157370001 | 0.760 ppm |
| 2014-09-15 | 157370001 | 0.858 ppm |
| 2014-10-14 | 163721001 | 0.700 ppm |
| 2014-10-14 | 163721001 | 0.827 ppm |
| 2014-11-17 | 168828001 | 0.820 ppm |
| 2014-11-17 | 168828001 | 0.930 ppm |
| 2014-12-15 | 172858001 | 0.778 ppm |
| 2014-12-15 | 172858001 | 0.810 ppm |
| 2015-01-12 | 175304001 | 0.770 ppm |
| 2015-01-12 | 175304001 | 0.811 ppm |
| 2015-02-17 | 180143001 | 0.740 ppm |
| 2015-02-17 | 180143001 | 0.787 ppm |
| 2015-03-09 | 182651001 | 0.780 ppm |
| 2015-03-09 | 182651001 | 0.790 ppm |
| 2015-04-14 | 188087001 | 0.630 ppm |
| 2015-04-14 | 188087001 | 0.691 ppm |
| 2015-05-11 | 192763001 | 0.719 ppm |
| 2015-05-11 | 192763001 | 0.720 ppm |
| 2015-06-15 | 199798001 | 0.650 ppm |
| 2015-06-15 | 199798001 | 0.865 ppm |
| 2015-07-28 | 208495001 | 0.680 ppm |
| 2015-07-28 | 208495001 | 0.693 ppm |
| 2015-08-18 | 212638001 | 0.740 ppm |
| 2015-08-18 | 212638001 | 0.752 ppm |
| 2015-09-22 | 219595001 | 0.686 ppm |
| 2015-09-22 | 219595001 | 0.710 ppm |
| 2015-10-26 | 225637001 | 0.784 ppm |
| 2015-10-26 | 225637001 | 0.790 ppm |
| 2015-11-17 | 229341001 | 0.730 ppm |
| 2015-11-17 | 229341001 | 0.846 ppm |
| 2015-12-21 | 233612001 | 0.740 ppm |
| 2015-12-21 | 233612001 | 0.816 ppm |
| 2016-01-11 | 235407001 | 0.530 ppm |
| 2016-01-11 | 235407001 | 0.660 ppm |
| 2016-02-23 | 241051001 | 0.520 ppm |
| 2016-02-23 | 241051001 | 0.553 ppm |
| 2016-03-21 | 245112001 | 0.590 ppm |
| 2016-03-21 | 245112001 | 0.602 ppm |
| 2016-04-04 | 246878001 | 0.570 ppm |
| 2016-04-04 | 246878001 | 0.630 ppm |
| 2016-05-23 | 256321001 | 0.720 ppm |
| 2016-05-23 | 256321001 | 0.744 ppm |
| 2016-07-19 | 267197001 | 0.870 ppm |
| 2016-07-19 | 267197001 | 0.884 ppm |
| 2016-08-01 | 269666001 | 0.498 ppm |
| 2016-08-01 | 269666001 | 0.540 ppm |
| 2016-09-26 | 280408001 | 0.610 ppm |
| 2016-09-26 | 280408001 | 0.658 ppm |
| 2016-10-03 | 281907001 | 0.628 ppm |
| 2016-10-03 | 281907001 | 0.640 ppm |
| 2016-11-01 | 286951001 | 0.660 ppm |
| 2016-11-01 | 286951001 | 0.720 ppm |
| 2016-12-05 | 291410001 | 0.674 ppm |
| 2016-12-05 | 291410001 | 0.690 ppm |
| 2017-01-03 | 294890001 | 0.654 ppm |
| 2017-01-03 | 294890001 | 0.670 ppm |
| 2017-02-13 | 299891001 | 0.607 ppm |
| 2017-02-13 | 299891001 | 0.710 ppm |
| 2017-02-21 | 429894 | 0.580 ppm |
| 2017-03-06 | 302730001 | 0.640 ppm |
| 2017-03-06 | 302730001 | 0.666 ppm |
| 2017-04-03 | 307532001 | 0.624 ppm |
| 2017-04-03 | 307532001 | 0.650 ppm |
| 2017-05-01 | 313075001 | 0.623 ppm |
| 2017-05-01 | 313075001 | 0.700 ppm |
| 2017-06-05 | 319765001 | 0.649 ppm |
| 2017-06-05 | 319765001 | 0.680 ppm |
| 2017-07-10 | 327278001 | 0.621 ppm |
| 2017-07-10 | 327278001 | 0.670 ppm |
| 2017-08-07 | 334031001 | 0.580 ppm |
| 2017-08-07 | 334031001 | 0.660 ppm |
| 2017-09-05 | 340113001 | 0.585 ppm |
| 2017-09-05 | 340113001 | 0.650 ppm |
| 2017-10-02 | 346403001 | 0.595 ppm |
| 2017-10-02 | 346403001 | 0.630 ppm |
| 2017-11-06 | 352797001 | 0.750 ppm |
| 2017-11-06 | 352797001 | 0.802 ppm |
| 2017-12-04 | 357415001 | 0.587 ppm |
| 2017-12-04 | 357415001 | 0.610 ppm |
| 2018-01-02 | 361122001 | 0.653 ppm |
| 2018-01-02 | 361122001 | 0.690 ppm |
| 2018-02-06 | 365893001 | 0.643 ppm |
| 2018-02-06 | 365893001 | 0.660 ppm |
| 2018-03-05 | 369629001 | 0.672 ppm |
| 2018-03-05 | 369629001 | 0.800 ppm |
| 2018-04-09 | 375399001 | 0.650 ppm |
| 2018-04-09 | 375399001 | 0.657 ppm |
| 2018-05-07 | 380527001 | 0.580 ppm |
| 2018-05-07 | 380527001 | 0.649 ppm |
| 2018-06-04 | 386146001 | 0.666 ppm |
| 2018-06-04 | 386146001 | 0.670 ppm |
| 2018-07-23 | 396365001 | 0.637 ppm |
| 2018-07-23 | 396365001 | 0.680 ppm |
| 2018-08-06 | 399151001 | 0.580 ppm |
| 2018-08-06 | 399151001 | 0.629 ppm |
| 2018-09-10 | 406630001 | 0.629 ppm |
| 2018-09-10 | 406630001 | 0.670 ppm |
| 2018-10-01 | 411858001 | 0.644 ppm |
| 2018-10-01 | 411858001 | 0.700 ppm |
| 2018-11-05 | 418109001 | 0.630 ppm |
| 2018-11-05 | 418109001 | 0.658 ppm |
| 2018-12-03 | 422373001 | 0.642 ppm |
| 2018-12-03 | 422373001 | 0.700 ppm |
| 2019-01-07 | 426613001 | 0.585 ppm |
| 2019-01-07 | 426613001 | 0.660 ppm |
| 2019-02-11 | 431049001 | 0.527 ppm |
| 2019-02-11 | 431049001 | 0.590 ppm |
| 2019-03-04 | 433659001 | 0.526 ppm |
| 2019-03-04 | 433659001 | 0.600 ppm |
| 2019-04-01 | 438156001 | 0.629 ppm |
| 2019-04-01 | 438156001 | 0.670 ppm |
| 2019-05-06 | 444365001 | 0.611 ppm |
| 2019-05-06 | 444365001 | 0.650 ppm |
| 2019-06-10 | 451003001 | 0.632 ppm |
| 2019-06-10 | 451003001 | 0.680 ppm |
| 2019-07-01 | 455211001 | 0.592 ppm |
| 2019-07-01 | 455211001 | 0.710 ppm |
| 2019-08-05 | 461703001 | 0.548 ppm |
| 2019-08-05 | 461703001 | 0.710 ppm |
| 2019-09-03 | 467543001 | 0.602 ppm |
| 2019-09-03 | 467543001 | 0.630 ppm |
| 2019-10-01 | 473950001 | 0.610 ppm |
| 2019-10-01 | 473950001 | 0.623 ppm |
| 2019-11-04 | 479646001 | 0.520 ppm |
| 2019-11-04 | 479646001 | 0.629 ppm |
| 2019-12-02 | 483905001 | 0.612 ppm |
| 2019-12-02 | 483905001 | 0.680 ppm |