Less fluoride in water weighed

Federal panel wants current level reduced
By: Jen Skerritt
Updated: July 31 at 02:00 AM CDT


ProvinciaL health officials are considering reducing the amount of fluoride in drinking water after a Health Canada expert panel concluded the current level of the chemical should be cut to limit any potential risk to health.
Health Canada commissioned a panel of experts in January 2007 to review the potential adverse effects of exposure to fluoride through drinking water. The panel recommended that the level of fluoride in drinking water be cut to 0.7 milligrams per litre to prevent excessive intake of the chemical. It can cause fluorosis -- an overdose of the chemical that causes tooth enamel to flake, become chalky, or in severe cases, stain black or brown.

The report and its recommendations were completed last year, but a summary was not posted on Health Canada's website until the end of June.

Dr. Joel Kettner, Manitoba's chief medical officer, said health officials are looking at the issue, but won't move ahead on lowering the fluoride level until Health Canada formally adopts the recommendations and tells the provinces to follow suit.

Under Manitoba's current drinking-water guidelines, fluoride levels must be within a range of 0.8 and 1.2 milligrams per litre. The maximum allowable concentration of fluoride in drinking water in Canada is 1.5 milligrams per litre.

Adding the chemical to municipal water supplies isn't mandatory, but Kettner said that as of 2007, 52 water treatment plants in 89 communities added fluoride to drinking water. Ninety-five per cent of Manitobans receive water treated with fluoride.

"The argument has always hinged on does the benefit outweigh the risk and the cost," Kettner said.

"Not only is there an absence of evidence of serious harmful effects, there's very good evidence of the benefits in terms of reducing the rates of dental cavities between 20 and 40 per cent -- which has very significant implications not just for dental health but for general health."

In an e-mail statement to the Free Press, a Health Canada spokesman said the expert panel was struck as part of a periodic review of the science behind complex fluoride issues.

Although the panel concluded there is still little evidence to link excessive fluoride exposure to bone cancer, lower intelligence and reproductive or developmental problems, it also recommended promoting low-fluoride toothpaste for children and lowering the concentration in some baby formulas.

In Winnipeg, mechanical pumps feed an acidic liquid form of fluoride into drinking water. Kelly Kjartanson, manager of environmental standards for the city, said the fluoride level fluctuates, but doesn't exceed the provincial guidelines. Last year, Winnipeg's water averaged 0.85 milligrams per litre of fluoride.

jen.skerritt@freepress.mb.ca

What is fluoride?

A chemical compound that occurs naturally in air, water, soil and almost all foods, and is also released into the environment by fertilizers, aluminum smelting and chemical manufacturing.

Why is it in water?

Many governments and health organizations endorsed the idea of adding fluoride to drinking water decades ago to prevent tooth decay.

What are the risks?

Over the years, there has been a concern that excess fluoride exposure could cause low bone density, cancer, lower intelligence, bone fractures, reproductive and neurological problems. However, Health Canada's expert panel said there is still no evidence to support these concerns.

Excess fluoride can also cause fluorosis, a condition that causes teeth to flake and stain brown.

What can I do to lower my exposure?

Children under six should not use fluoridated mouthwash and parents should make sure that children use no more than a pea-size amount of toothpaste on a toothbrush.

Children who can't spit toothpaste and are therefore in danger of swallowing it should have their teeth brushed by an adult without using any toothpaste.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscriber/local/story/4206443p-4798732c.html