Four Myths About Water Fluoridation That People Shouldn’t Swallow.
Fluoride isn’t natural Fluoride is a naturally occurring substance found in rocks that leaches into groundwater; it’s also found in surface water.
The type of fluoride commonly found in many rocks and the source of the naturally occurring fluoride ion in water supplies is calcium fluoride.
So regardless of the original compound source, the end result is the same — fluoride ions in the water.
Fluoridated water doesn’t work Evidence for water fluoridation dates back to US studies in the 1940s, where dental researchers noticed lower levels of tooth decay in areas with naturally occurring fluoride in the water supply.
The NHMRC review found children and teenagers who had lived in areas with water fluoridation had 26-44 percent fewer teeth or surfaces affected by decay, and adults had 27 percent less tooth decay.
Most studies that claim to show adverse health effects report on areas where there are high levels of fluoride occurring naturally in the water supply.
There is, however, evidence that fluoridated water is linked to both the amount and severity of dental fluorosis.
Therefore, making up infant formula with fluoridated tap water at levels found in Australian (0.6-1.1 parts per million) is safe, and does not pose a risk for dental fluorosis.
Indeed, Australian research shows there is no association between infant formula use and dental fluorosis.

AVENAL — Clean drinking water for students is a high priority in any school district, and Reef-Sunset Unified School District Superintendent David East is happy his district’s issues are finally being addressed in a way where he doesn’t have to constantly worry about students’ health.
East has been with the district for eight years, but said the battle with clean and safe drinking water started at least a few years before he got there, after high levels of arsenic were found in the drinking water in Kettleman City.
Arsenic, a known carcinogen, at concentrations of 10 parts per billion or above violates federal standards.
Any risk for developing cancer from arsenic consumption depends on how great the concentration is, how much you drink and for how long.
The Safe Drinking Water and Water Quality Projects Program was created under Proposition 84 in 2006, which provided the California Department of Health Services access to federal capitalization grants to assist communities in providing safe drinking water under the Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Program.
Around five years ago, parents of the students in East’s district were concerned, and he said it was one of the top issues facing the district of around 2,650 students.
The Reef-Sunset district received grants from the state to install point-of-use water filtering systems in the fountains and in certain faucets in the kitchens, East said.
He said many of the water fountains at the school have been replaced as well.
Students even bring their own water bottles from home to refill with the filtered water, East said.
The State Water Resources Control Board, in cooperation with the California Department of Education, recently required all community water systems to test school drinking water upon request by school officials if the public school is served by a community water system.

AVENAL — Clean drinking water for students is a high priority in any school district, and Reef-Sunset Unified School District Superintendent David East is happy his district’s issues are finally being addressed in a way where he doesn’t have to constantly worry about students’ health.
East has been with the district for eight years, but said the battle with clean and safe drinking water started at least a few years before he got there, after high levels of arsenic were found in the drinking water in Kettleman City.
Arsenic, a known carcinogen, at concentrations of 10 parts per billion or above violates federal standards.
Any risk for developing cancer from arsenic consumption depends on how great the concentration is, how much you drink and for how long.
The Safe Drinking Water and Water Quality Projects Program was created under Proposition 84 in 2006, which provided the California Department of Health Services access to federal capitalization grants to assist communities in providing safe drinking water under the Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Program.
The Reef-Sunset district received grants from the state to install point-of-use water filtering systems in the fountains and in certain faucets in the kitchens, East said.
He said many of the water fountains at the school have been replaced as well.
In January, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced public schools can receive free lead testing in drinking water under a new state program.
The State Water Resources Control Board, in cooperation with the California Department of Education, recently required all community water systems to test school drinking water upon request by school officials if the public school is served by a community water system.
The perception for most residents of Avenal and Kettleman City is that bottled water is still better, but East said he’s glad to see students using the water fountains at the school without hesitation and that parents are no longer concerned with the water their children are drinking at school.

The number of people with no safe drinking water is shocking.
GENEVA — Nearly a third of the world’s population does not have access to uncontaminated drinking water and more than half lacks adequate toilet facilities, which increases the risk of diseases, U.N. agencies said on Wednesday.
There are 2.1 billion people without safe and readily available water supplies and 4.5 billion without safely managed sanitation.
The problem is particularly acute in rural areas, the researchers found.
"Safe water, sanitation and hygiene at home should not be a privilege of only those who are rich or live in urban centers," WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
Poor sanitation helps to spread diarrheal diseases such as cholera and dysentery, as well as hepatitis and typhoid.
Every year, more than 360,000 children below the age of 5 die of diarrhea.
Sub-Saharan Africa has the greatest lack of safe drinking water.
Less than one in four people have access to clean water in this region of the world.
This problem is especially widespread in Central and Southern Asia, but there are also worrying trends elsewhere.

Letter: New Belgium supports Clean Water Rule.
Healthy waterways are an important part of our local communities, and we need clean water to make great beer.
That’s why we’re joining 47 other craft breweries to oppose President Trump’s plans to weaken our nation’s clean water protections.
The Clean Water Rule clarifies which waterways are guaranteed protection under federal law.
The rule made clear that smaller upstream waterways are protected from pollution under the law whenever they have connections to larger downstream waterways.
For New Belgium, that means more dependable access to the most important ingredient in our beer: clean water.
This rule was sorely needed.
That risk is bad for the craft brewing industry.
Beer consists of more than 90 percent water, so New Belgium and other brewers rely on the safeguards that protect this critical resource.
So we’re submitting a letter to the Trump administration, together with dozens of our craft brewing colleagues around the country, calling on federal agencies to maintain or strengthen the Clean Water Rule – not weaken it.

Watering down facts.
Canada is blessed with many natural resources and access to fresh drinking water is one of its greatest.
Bottled water producers in Canada have played a role in protecting that resource and through leading innovation in packaging and recycling.
Recently there was a discussion about enjoying local tap water over bottled water.
Almost 70 per cent of Canadians, according to the latest research, choose tap as their primary water source, often making the choice for tap water at home and bottled water on the go.
It should be pointed out that, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada, bottled water sold in Canada represents just 0.009 per cent of the approximately 38,300 million cubic metres of water that are annually withdrawn from Canada’s rivers, lakes, groundwater and oceans.
British Columbians can be proud of their recycling rates with approximately 80 per cent of our industry’s containers being recycled and turned into everything from park slides to fleece jackets, sleeping bags, shoes, car parts and the list goes on.
Successful recycling in B.C.
As of 2016 reports from the Return-It program, the Fraser-Fort George Regional district has one of the highest per capita recycling rates for beverage containers, 50 per cent higher than the provincial average.
In the end, we believe there is a place for both bottled water and tap water to co-exist and the research supports this.

DOC monitoring water situation at Lowell CI.
The Florida Department of Corrections is continuing to monitor conditions at the Lowell Correctional Institute north of Ocala.
This statement is posted on the agency’s website: “Storm damage over the weekend caused maintenance issues that affected the well pumps and geothermal line – the main component of the institution’s air cooling system.
Since the incident occurred, staff have worked continuously to correct the issues and make all necessary accommodations in the best interest of the health and safety of inmates.” The statement also notes that: + Running water is available and has been in use for the past two days.
+ The geothermal line has been restored to all areas of the institution.
+ All inmates have access to drinking water.
Staff are continuously refilling coolers of clean drinking water for inmates while the institution awaits the completion of water quality testing.
+ All areas are being cleaned and maintained in a manner consistent with the original conditions of the institution.
An agency spokeswoman on Tuesday said there is water for sinks, toilets and showers, but the water must be tested for 72 hours before it will be deemed suitable for drinking.
The testing started on Monday.

Letter: State budget ignores need for clean water.
As former Vice President Joe Biden remarked, “Don’t tell me what you value, show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.” The Pennsylvania State Legislature just sent a loud and clear message — we do not value clean, drinkable water.
The Pennsylvania Legislature just passed a budget that guts environmental programs across the board, cutting the budgets of river basin commissions in half.
This brings the Delaware River Basin Commission’s funding from Pennsylvania down to just $217,000 — less than a quarter of what the Commonwealth is supposed to provide.
Founded in 1961 by the four states surrounding the Delaware River and the federal government, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) is an interstate commission tasked with managing the water resources of the region.
The Delaware River Basin supplies more than 5.5 million Pennsylvanians (43 percent of the population) with clean drinking water and its natural resources provide an economic value of $8.6 million to the Commonwealth.
Of the four basin states, Pennsylvania ranks first in land area and population, however, the Commonwealth now ranks fourth in financial support for DRBC.
This is clearly inconsistent with the environmental and economic benefits provided to Pennsylvanians by the DRBC.
It is also a slap in the face to 43 percent of the population that calls the river basin home and enjoys access to clean, drinkable water.
Budgets are a demonstration of values, and the state legislature has shown that it does not value the families and businesses that rely on clean water.

The UN says plans to ship as many as one million doses of cholera vaccine to Yemen are likely to be shelved over security and logistical challenges.
Top United Nations officials on Wednesday slammed the warring parties in Yemen and their international allies for fuelling an unprecedented deadly cholera outbreak, driving millions closer to famine and hindering humanitarian aid access.
Since the end of April, the World Health Organisation said there have been more than 320,000 suspected cases of cholera – a disease that causes uncontrollable diarrhea – and 1,742 deaths across more than 90 percent of the Arabian Peninsula country.
"This cholera scandal is entirely man-made by the conflicting parties and those beyond Yemen’s borders who are leading, supplying, fighting and perpetuating the fear and the fighting," O’Brien said.
He called on the 15-member Council to "lean much more heavily and effectively on the parties and those outside Yemen" to end the conflict and humanitarian crisis.
Access barred UN officials on Tuesday said that plans to ship as many as 1 million doses of cholera vaccine to Yemen are likely to be shelved over security, access and logistical challenges, even as the deadly caseload continues to balloon in parts of the country.
A Saudi Arabia-led coalition intervened in Yemen’s civil war in 2015, backing government forces fighting Iran-allied Houthi rebels.
The country, which relies heavily on imports for food, has become one of the UN’s top humanitarian crises.
Yemen’s economy has collapsed and 30,000 health workers have not been paid for more than 10 months, so the UN has stepped in with "incentive" payments to get them to help with the fight against cholera.
UN Yemen mediator Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed told the Security Council a Saudi donation of $67 million had helped slow the cholera spread and called on other donors to step up.

UN highlights global scarce of clean drinking water.
GENEVA, July 12 (Xinhua) — Nearly a third of our planet’s population lack access to safe and clean drinking water, and more than half are in short of properly managed sanitation, according to a latest UN report released on Wednesday.
In numbers, the report by the WHO and UNICEF said almost three in ten people worldwide, or 2.1 billion, lack access to safe, readily available water at home, and six in ten, or 4.5 billion, lack safely managed sanitation.
Safely managed drinking water and sanitation services means drinking water free of contamination that is available at home when needed, and toilets whereby excreta are treated and disposed of safely, according to the WHO.
Though billions of people have gained access to basic drinking water and sanitation services since 2000, these services do not necessarily provide safe water and sanitation, which has turned out to be a major source of risk for the spread of diseases like diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, hepatitis A, and typhoid.
The report found persisting significant inequalities in availability of clean drinking water and proper hygiene among countries and regions, as well as different areas within a country.
Of the 2.1 billion who do not have safely managed water, 844 million do not have even a basic drinking water service.
In 90 countries, progress towards basic sanitation is too slow, meaning they will not reach universal coverage by 2030.
"Safe water, sanitation and hygiene at home should not be a privilege of only those who are rich or live in urban centers," says WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
"These are some of the most basic requirements for human health, and all countries have a responsibility to ensure that everyone can access them."