Water Works Lowering Fluoride Level

LACONIA — In response to a recommendation of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and Environmental Protection Agency the city's water department has reduced the level of fluoride in the city's drinking water.

Seth Nuttleman, superintendent of the department, said yesterday that last month the two federal agencies recommended maintaining the level of fluoride at the lowest end of the permissible range, which reaches from 0.7 parts per million (ppm) to 1.2 ppm., to prevent dental fluorosis.

Fluorosis is a condition caused when children, particularly between the ages of one and four, are exposed to excessive levels of fluoride as their teeth develop. Children older than eight are not at risk. It most commonly appears as tiny white streaks or specks on the teeth, usually visible only to dentist, with only cosmetic effects. However, severe cases of fluorosis are marked by mottling of the enamel, which bear black and brown stains, and even cracking and pitting of the teeth.

Nuttleman said that the department began adding fluoride to the water in 1990 following a public referendum. Until recently, he said the department "operated at the center of the spectrum at 1 ppm. He noted that fluoride occurs naturally and the level in Paugus Bay, from which the city draws its water, is 0.2 ppm.

After the federal agencies released their recommendation, Nuttleman said he spoke with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and dropped the fluoride level in city water to 0.8 ppm.

Nuttleman pointed out that together with DHHS, the Center for Disease Control and the American Dental Association recommend fluoridation to prevent tooth decay.