Everyone assumes that because we have flouride in our water it must be good. After all don’t all those dentists keep telling us that if there’s flouride in our water our teeth are protected from cavities?

Not everyone, though, agrees that flouride in water is a good idea, or safe.

In 2006 there was a report issued by a panel appointed by the National Research Council of the National Academies. That report found that around 1 in 3 children are negatively affected by excess flouride, and that this negative affect is found in both the health of their teeth, and also more general health complaints.

The report also suggested that the EPAs drinking water standard for flouride (4 ppm) should be lowered.

The panel included some very eminent scientists, including a nobel prize laureate in medicine and a previous EPA scientist, and a total of around 2000 scientists.

Here’s a short video about it.

However despite that report we still have flouride in our water.

Further Health Canada has also suggested lowering the incidence of flouride in the water. Other recommendations include that infant formula should not be mixed with flouridated water to protect the health of babies.