Fluoride
Adams Waterworks
Fluoride occurs naturally in surface and groundwater and is also added to drinking water by many water systems to prevent cavities and support oral health in people.
In 2015, the Department of Health and Human Services updated its recommendation of an optimal level of 0.7 parts per million, or ppm, added to drinking water based on the health benefits of tooth decay prevention. Studies have shown that fluoride added to community water systems at this level reduces dental cavities, especially in children.
And studies have conclusively shown that fluoride in toothpaste and mouthwash can also provide these benefits.
Read More.
Health Concerns
Although the HHS-recommended level of 0.7 ppm can help promote oral health in children and adults, this level is likely too high for bottle-fed babies. EWG recommends that caregivers mix baby formula with fluoride-free water.
And fluoride in water at higher levels can be detrimental for everyone, especially children.
Long-term ingestion of higher levels of fluoride in water increases dental fluorosis, which includes mottling, pitting and weakening of the teeth in children.
A 2024 authoritative assessment by the National Toxicology Program found that higher levels of fluoride exposure, such as drinking water containing more than 1.5 ppm of fluoride, are associated with lower IQ in children. The conclusion was based on studies in human populations outside of the U.S.
Affecting systems with naturally occurring fluoride, 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 fracture. But these effects may occur at lower levels of exposure, raising concerns that the current limit may not adequately protect public health.
Samples
Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)
Samples exceeding
health guidelines
Testing results - average by year
| Year | Average result | Samples taken | Detections | Range of results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 0.676 ppm | 22 | 22 | 0.587 ppm - 0.730 ppm |
| 2019 | 0.628 ppm | 24 | 24 | 0.113 ppm - 0.771 ppm |
| 2020 | 0.619 ppm | 22 | 22 | 0.209 ppm - 1.10 ppm |
| 2021 | 0.572 ppm | 28 | 28 | 0.380 ppm - 0.760 ppm |
| 2022 | 0.661 ppm | 24 | 24 | 0.540 ppm - 0.750 ppm |
| 2023 | 0.698 ppm | 28 | 26 | ND - 2.32 ppm |
ppm = parts per million
State, National, and Health Guidelines for Drinking Water
EPA Maximum Contaminant
Level (MCL): 4 ppm
ppm = parts per million
All test results
| Date | Lab ID | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-01-02 | 361119001 | 0.650 ppm |
| 2018-01-02 | 361119001 | 0.680 ppm |
| 2018-03-07 | 370131001 | 0.700 ppm |
| 2018-03-07 | 370131001 | 0.702 ppm |
| 2018-04-11 | 376103001 | 0.683 ppm |
| 2018-04-11 | 376103001 | 0.730 ppm |
| 2018-05-14 | 382145001 | 0.587 ppm |
| 2018-05-14 | 382145001 | 0.700 ppm |
| 2018-06-12 | 388376001 | 0.610 ppm |
| 2018-06-12 | 388376001 | 0.682 ppm |
| 2018-07-11 | 393920001 | 0.680 ppm |
| 2018-07-11 | 393920001 | 0.704 ppm |
| 2018-08-08 | 399881001 | 0.679 ppm |
| 2018-08-08 | 399881001 | 0.700 ppm |
| 2018-09-11 | 407091001 | 0.663 ppm |
| 2018-09-11 | 407091001 | 0.690 ppm |
| 2018-10-10 | 413919001 | 0.650 ppm |
| 2018-10-10 | 413919001 | 0.679 ppm |
| 2018-11-06 | 418594001 | 0.660 ppm |
| 2018-11-06 | 418594001 | 0.690 ppm |
| 2018-12-12 | 424237001 | 0.650 ppm |
| 2018-12-12 | 424237001 | 0.694 ppm |
| 2019-01-08 | 427064001 | 0.674 ppm |
| 2019-01-08 | 427064001 | 0.680 ppm |
| 2019-02-11 | 431050001 | 0.650 ppm |
| 2019-02-11 | 431050001 | 0.746 ppm |
| 2019-03-13 | 435412001 | 0.701 ppm |
| 2019-03-13 | 435412001 | 0.740 ppm |
| 2019-04-08 | 439446001 | 0.390 ppm |
| 2019-04-08 | 439446001 | 0.500 ppm |
| 2019-05-13 | 445817001 | 0.580 ppm |
| 2019-05-13 | 445817001 | 0.719 ppm |
| 2019-06-11 | 451384001 | 0.650 ppm |
| 2019-06-11 | 451384001 | 0.723 ppm |
| 2019-07-10 | 457022001 | 0.770 ppm |
| 2019-07-10 | 457022001 | 0.771 ppm |
| 2019-08-14 | 464032001 | 0.515 ppm |
| 2019-08-14 | 464032001 | 0.540 ppm |
| 2019-09-09 | 468727001 | 0.700 ppm |
| 2019-09-09 | 468727001 | 0.763 ppm |
| 2019-10-02 | 474302001 | 0.730 ppm |
| 2019-10-02 | 474302001 | 0.753 ppm |
| 2019-11-12 | 481224001 | 0.690 ppm |
| 2019-11-12 | 481224001 | 0.733 ppm |
| 2019-12-04 | 484598001 | 0.113 ppm |
| 2019-12-04 | 484598001 | 0.240 ppm |
| 2020-01-07 | 488467001 | 0.209 ppm |
| 2020-01-07 | 488467001 | 0.290 ppm |
| 2020-04-06 | 499718001 | 0.634 ppm |
| 2020-04-06 | 499718001 | 0.780 ppm |
| 2020-05-05 | 503498001 | 0.670 ppm |
| 2020-05-05 | 503498001 | 0.726 ppm |
| 2020-06-01 | 507416001 | 0.670 ppm |
| 2020-06-01 | 507416001 | 0.681 ppm |
| 2020-07-07 | 513513001 | 0.420 ppm |
| 2020-07-07 | 513513001 | 0.579 ppm |
| 2020-08-04 | 518344001 | 0.712 ppm |
| 2020-08-04 | 518344001 | 0.730 ppm |
| 2020-08-17 | 462470 | 0.780 ppm |
| 2020-08-17 | 462475 | 1.10 ppm |
| 2020-09-01 | 523107001 | 0.420 ppm |
| 2020-09-01 | 523107001 | 0.436 ppm |
| 2020-10-06 | 530123001 | 0.655 ppm |
| 2020-10-06 | 530123001 | 0.700 ppm |
| 2020-11-03 | 534622001 | 0.703 ppm |
| 2020-11-03 | 534622001 | 0.730 ppm |
| 2020-12-07 | 539182001 | 0.466 ppm |
| 2020-12-07 | 539182001 | 0.520 ppm |
| 2021-01-04 | 542132001 | 0.717 ppm |
| 2021-01-04 | 542132001 | 0.760 ppm |
| 2021-02-02 | 546256001 | 0.630 ppm |
| 2021-02-02 | 546256001 | 0.646 ppm |
| 2021-02-02 | 546256001 | 0.630 ppm |
| 2021-02-02 | 546256001 | 0.646 ppm |
| 2021-03-01 | 549554001 | 0.433 ppm |
| 2021-03-01 | 549554001 | 0.520 ppm |
| 2021-03-01 | 549554001 | 0.433 ppm |
| 2021-03-01 | 549554001 | 0.520 ppm |
| 2021-04-05 | 554597001 | 0.380 ppm |
| 2021-04-05 | 554597001 | 0.545 ppm |
| 2021-05-03 | 559755001 | 0.470 ppm |
| 2021-05-03 | 559755001 | 0.510 ppm |
| 2021-06-07 | 565559001 | 0.610 ppm |
| 2021-06-07 | 565559001 | 0.734 ppm |
| 2021-07-12 | 571894001 | 0.500 ppm |
| 2021-07-12 | 571894001 | 0.550 ppm |
| 2021-08-02 | 575836001 | 0.660 ppm |
| 2021-08-02 | 575836001 | 0.714 ppm |
| 2021-09-13 | 583331001 | 0.461 ppm |
| 2021-09-13 | 583331001 | 0.550 ppm |
| 2021-10-11 | 588943001 | 0.500 ppm |
| 2021-10-11 | 588943001 | 0.532 ppm |
| 2021-11-01 | 592413001 | 0.640 ppm |
| 2021-11-01 | 592413001 | 0.754 ppm |
| 2021-12-06 | 597182001 | 0.448 ppm |
| 2021-12-06 | 597182001 | 0.510 ppm |
| 2022-01-03 | 600387001 | 0.710 ppm |
| 2022-01-03 | 600387001 | 0.740 ppm |
| 2022-02-07 | 604922001 | 0.640 ppm |
| 2022-02-07 | 604922001 | 0.686 ppm |
| 2022-03-07 | 608360001 | 0.691 ppm |
| 2022-03-07 | 608360001 | 0.750 ppm |
| 2022-04-04 | 612151001 | 0.665 ppm |
| 2022-04-04 | 612151001 | 0.670 ppm |
| 2022-05-03 | 617520001 | 0.540 ppm |
| 2022-05-03 | 617520001 | 0.623 ppm |
| 2022-06-06 | 623527001 | 0.540 ppm |
| 2022-06-06 | 623527001 | 0.706 ppm |
| 2022-07-11 | 630034001 | 0.580 ppm |
| 2022-07-11 | 630034001 | 0.632 ppm |
| 2022-08-01 | 634320001 | 0.570 ppm |
| 2022-08-01 | 634320001 | 0.629 ppm |
| 2022-09-12 | 642083001 | 0.650 ppm |
| 2022-09-12 | 642083001 | 0.708 ppm |
| 2022-10-03 | 646417001 | 0.610 ppm |
| 2022-10-03 | 646417001 | 0.709 ppm |
| 2022-11-07 | 652094001 | 0.700 ppm |
| 2022-11-07 | 652094001 | 0.710 ppm |
| 2022-12-05 | 655654001 | 0.706 ppm |
| 2022-12-05 | 655654001 | 0.710 ppm |
| 2023-01-09 | 659913001 | 0.140 ppm |
| 2023-01-09 | 659913001 | 0.290 ppm |
| 2023-02-06 | 663436001 | 0.688 ppm |
| 2023-02-06 | 663436001 | 0.730 ppm |
| 2023-03-06 | 667437001 | 0.620 ppm |
| 2023-03-06 | 667437001 | 0.677 ppm |
| 2023-04-03 | 671355001 | 0.653 ppm |
| 2023-04-03 | 671355001 | 0.710 ppm |
| 2023-05-01 | 676041001 | 0.718 ppm |
| 2023-05-01 | 676041001 | 0.730 ppm |
| 2023-06-05 | 682103001 | 0.710 ppm |
| 2023-06-05 | 682103001 | 0.733 ppm |
| 2023-06-12 | 683563001 | ND |
| 2023-06-12 | 683562001 | ND |
| 2023-06-26 | 685700001 | 0.668 ppm |
| 2023-06-26 | 685699001 | 2.32 ppm |
| 2023-07-10 | 687709001 | 0.590 ppm |
| 2023-07-10 | 687709001 | 0.697 ppm |
| 2023-08-07 | 693442001 | 0.820 ppm |
| 2023-08-07 | 693442001 | 0.883 ppm |
| 2023-09-11 | 699651001 | 0.827 ppm |
| 2023-09-11 | 699651001 | 0.830 ppm |
| 2023-10-02 | 703914001 | 0.700 ppm |
| 2023-10-02 | 703914001 | 0.709 ppm |
| 2023-11-06 | 709459001 | 0.840 ppm |
| 2023-11-06 | 709459001 | 0.843 ppm |
| 2023-12-18 | 715313001 | 0.700 ppm |
| 2023-12-18 | 715313001 | 0.712 ppm |