New York – March 2007 -- Trace amounts of arsenic are found in fluoride chemicals added to drinking water supplies, reports the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) website. (1)
Fluoridation is a controversial attempt to reduce tooth decay in tap-water consumers.
Fluoridation chemicals - sodium fluoride, sodium fluorosilicate, and fluorosilicic acid (FSA) – are all derived from the manufacture of phosphate fertilizer, reports the CDC. Trace amounts of unwanted contaminants, such as antimony, barium, beryllium, arsenic and others, are allowed to remain in
fluoridation chemicals before flowing through America’s faucets (2)
The CDC reports, tests by National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) revealed arsenic was present in sample batches of FSA. When trace amounts were present, the treated water had an average of 0.43 parts per billion (ppb) of arsenic, with a high of 1.66 ppb attributable to the fluoride additive. (2)
The NSF sets the allowable level of arsenic in fluoridation chemicals at 2.5 ppb. The maximum contaminant level (MCL) of arsenic in treated water is 10 ppb, set by the Environmental Protection Agency. But the maximum contaminant level goal (MCLG) of arsenic in drinking water is zero (5) and is based on health risks; however, the actual level permitted (MCL) is above 0, to account for difficulty in removing it or in measuring it. (6)
“No water company should purposely be adding arsenic to water supplies –even when it’s attached to a chemical perceived to be beneficial,” says Beeber.
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