Fluoride
Menomonee Falls WW - Groundwater
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 | 27 | 27 | 0.330 ppm - 1.25 ppm |
| 2015 | 0.609 ppm | 24 | 24 | 0.458 ppm - 0.840 ppm |
| 2016 | 0.606 ppm | 24 | 24 | 0.428 ppm - 0.840 ppm |
| 2017 | 0.594 ppm | 26 | 26 | 0.436 ppm - 0.790 ppm |
| 2018 | 0.670 ppm | 24 | 24 | 0.587 ppm - 0.790 ppm |
| 2019 | 0.675 ppm | 24 | 24 | 0.520 ppm - 0.800 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2014-01-14 | 117361001 | 0.980 ppm |
| 2014-01-14 | 117361001 | 0.994 ppm |
| 2014-02-20 | 120489001 | 1.18 ppm |
| 2014-02-20 | 120489001 | 1.25 ppm |
| 2014-03-18 | 124271001 | 0.906 ppm |
| 2014-03-18 | 124271001 | 1.000 ppm |
| 2014-04-07 | 128202001 | 0.851 ppm |
| 2014-04-07 | 128202001 | 0.880 ppm |
| 2014-04-22 | 781775 | 0.330 ppm |
| 2014-05-20 | 134452001 | 0.712 ppm |
| 2014-05-20 | 134452001 | 0.810 ppm |
| 2014-06-23 | 141359001 | 0.436 ppm |
| 2014-06-23 | 141359001 | 0.560 ppm |
| 2014-07-21 | 147383001 | 0.604 ppm |
| 2014-07-21 | 147383001 | 0.670 ppm |
| 2014-08-18 | 812260 | 0.390 ppm |
| 2014-08-18 | 812262 | 0.670 ppm |
| 2014-08-18 | 153030001 | 0.675 ppm |
| 2014-08-18 | 153030001 | 0.880 ppm |
| 2014-09-16 | 158513001 | 0.551 ppm |
| 2014-09-16 | 158513001 | 0.860 ppm |
| 2014-10-06 | 164047001 | 0.525 ppm |
| 2014-10-06 | 164047001 | 0.770 ppm |
| 2014-11-10 | 168454001 | 0.441 ppm |
| 2014-11-10 | 168454001 | 0.780 ppm |
| 2014-12-09 | 172505001 | 0.407 ppm |
| 2014-12-09 | 172505001 | 0.600 ppm |
| 2015-01-21 | 176940001 | 0.458 ppm |
| 2015-01-21 | 176940001 | 0.650 ppm |
| 2015-02-18 | 180502001 | 0.542 ppm |
| 2015-02-18 | 180502001 | 0.710 ppm |
| 2015-03-18 | 185188001 | 0.510 ppm |
| 2015-03-18 | 185188001 | 0.548 ppm |
| 2015-04-21 | 189581001 | 0.645 ppm |
| 2015-04-21 | 189581001 | 0.690 ppm |
| 2015-05-18 | 195380001 | 0.463 ppm |
| 2015-05-18 | 195380001 | 0.590 ppm |
| 2015-06-10 | 199320001 | 0.568 ppm |
| 2015-06-10 | 199320001 | 0.700 ppm |
| 2015-07-08 | 205314001 | 0.485 ppm |
| 2015-07-08 | 205314001 | 0.660 ppm |
| 2015-08-17 | 212945001 | 0.612 ppm |
| 2015-08-17 | 212945001 | 0.740 ppm |
| 2015-09-14 | 218511001 | 0.528 ppm |
| 2015-09-14 | 218511001 | 0.840 ppm |
| 2015-10-19 | 225172001 | 0.559 ppm |
| 2015-10-19 | 225172001 | 0.750 ppm |
| 2015-11-16 | 229540001 | 0.571 ppm |
| 2015-11-16 | 229540001 | 0.640 ppm |
| 2015-12-14 | 233193001 | 0.526 ppm |
| 2015-12-14 | 233193001 | 0.630 ppm |
| 2016-01-19 | 236849001 | 0.514 ppm |
| 2016-01-19 | 236849001 | 0.840 ppm |
| 2016-02-17 | 240512001 | 0.506 ppm |
| 2016-02-17 | 240512001 | 0.750 ppm |
| 2016-03-14 | 244667001 | 0.529 ppm |
| 2016-03-14 | 244667001 | 0.700 ppm |
| 2016-04-18 | 250042001 | 0.503 ppm |
| 2016-04-18 | 250042001 | 0.680 ppm |
| 2016-05-16 | 255643001 | 0.478 ppm |
| 2016-05-16 | 255643001 | 0.490 ppm |
| 2016-06-13 | 260602001 | 0.590 ppm |
| 2016-06-13 | 260602001 | 0.730 ppm |
| 2016-07-18 | 267832001 | 0.539 ppm |
| 2016-07-18 | 267832001 | 0.680 ppm |
| 2016-08-16 | 273063001 | 0.589 ppm |
| 2016-08-16 | 273063001 | 0.780 ppm |
| 2016-09-20 | 279629001 | 0.580 ppm |
| 2016-09-20 | 279629001 | 0.680 ppm |
| 2016-10-17 | 285224001 | 0.529 ppm |
| 2016-10-17 | 285224001 | 0.600 ppm |
| 2016-11-15 | 289696001 | 0.428 ppm |
| 2016-11-15 | 289696001 | 0.780 ppm |
| 2016-12-06 | 292303001 | 0.443 ppm |
| 2016-12-06 | 292303001 | 0.600 ppm |
| 2017-01-18 | 297531001 | 0.493 ppm |
| 2017-01-18 | 297531001 | 0.650 ppm |
| 2017-02-15 | 300478001 | 0.438 ppm |
| 2017-02-15 | 300478001 | 0.640 ppm |
| 2017-03-21 | 305714001 | 0.477 ppm |
| 2017-03-21 | 305714001 | 0.540 ppm |
| 2017-04-11 | 309801001 | 0.436 ppm |
| 2017-04-11 | 309801001 | 0.630 ppm |
| 2017-05-16 | 316758001 | 0.447 ppm |
| 2017-05-16 | 316758001 | 0.640 ppm |
| 2017-06-20 | 324071001 | 0.577 ppm |
| 2017-06-20 | 324071001 | 0.650 ppm |
| 2017-07-18 | 329913001 | 0.519 ppm |
| 2017-07-18 | 329913001 | 0.620 ppm |
| 2017-08-16 | 336801001 | 0.591 ppm |
| 2017-08-16 | 336801001 | 0.700 ppm |
| 2017-08-29 | 1015231 | 0.540 ppm |
| 2017-08-29 | 1015230 | 0.590 ppm |
| 2017-09-19 | 344074001 | 0.590 ppm |
| 2017-09-19 | 344074001 | 0.616 ppm |
| 2017-10-17 | 350152001 | 0.600 ppm |
| 2017-10-17 | 350152001 | 0.663 ppm |
| 2017-11-14 | 355161001 | 0.629 ppm |
| 2017-11-14 | 355161001 | 0.670 ppm |
| 2017-12-13 | 360257001 | 0.702 ppm |
| 2017-12-13 | 360257001 | 0.790 ppm |
| 2018-01-16 | 363378001 | 0.640 ppm |
| 2018-01-16 | 363378001 | 0.760 ppm |
| 2018-02-12 | 367280001 | 0.595 ppm |
| 2018-02-12 | 367280001 | 0.700 ppm |
| 2018-03-20 | 372600001 | 0.637 ppm |
| 2018-03-20 | 372600001 | 0.690 ppm |
| 2018-04-18 | 377261001 | 0.627 ppm |
| 2018-04-18 | 377261001 | 0.710 ppm |
| 2018-05-16 | 383699001 | 0.622 ppm |
| 2018-05-16 | 383699001 | 0.700 ppm |
| 2018-06-20 | 390401001 | 0.587 ppm |
| 2018-06-20 | 390401001 | 0.650 ppm |
| 2018-07-23 | 396784001 | 0.659 ppm |
| 2018-07-23 | 396784001 | 0.790 ppm |
| 2018-08-21 | 403244001 | 0.640 ppm |
| 2018-08-21 | 403244001 | 0.651 ppm |
| 2018-09-17 | 409303001 | 0.644 ppm |
| 2018-09-17 | 409303001 | 0.770 ppm |
| 2018-10-23 | 416176001 | 0.647 ppm |
| 2018-10-23 | 416176001 | 0.740 ppm |
| 2018-11-13 | 420132001 | 0.610 ppm |
| 2018-11-13 | 420132001 | 0.720 ppm |
| 2018-12-17 | 425167001 | 0.615 ppm |
| 2018-12-17 | 425167001 | 0.680 ppm |
| 2019-01-21 | 429116001 | 0.638 ppm |
| 2019-01-21 | 429116001 | 0.770 ppm |
| 2019-02-18 | 432527001 | 0.628 ppm |
| 2019-02-18 | 432527001 | 0.710 ppm |
| 2019-03-21 | 436763001 | 0.617 ppm |
| 2019-03-21 | 436763001 | 0.740 ppm |
| 2019-04-03 | 438934001 | 0.624 ppm |
| 2019-04-03 | 438934001 | 0.740 ppm |
| 2019-05-08 | 445284001 | 0.642 ppm |
| 2019-05-08 | 445284001 | 0.760 ppm |
| 2019-06-10 | 451388001 | 0.625 ppm |
| 2019-06-10 | 451388001 | 0.650 ppm |
| 2019-07-10 | 457035001 | 0.607 ppm |
| 2019-07-10 | 457035001 | 0.730 ppm |
| 2019-08-12 | 463620001 | 0.683 ppm |
| 2019-08-12 | 463620001 | 0.800 ppm |
| 2019-09-05 | 469391001 | 0.520 ppm |
| 2019-09-05 | 469391001 | 0.614 ppm |
| 2019-10-08 | 475746001 | 0.662 ppm |
| 2019-10-08 | 475746001 | 0.730 ppm |
| 2019-11-06 | 480776001 | 0.636 ppm |
| 2019-11-06 | 480776001 | 0.750 ppm |
| 2019-12-04 | 484710001 | 0.645 ppm |
| 2019-12-04 | 484710001 | 0.680 ppm |