This is an alert about your drinking water and a cosmetic dental problem that might affect children under nine years of age. At low levels, fluoride can help prevent cavities, but children drinking water containing more than 2 milligrams per liter (mg/L) of fluoride may develop cosmetic discoloration of their permanent teeth (dental fluorosis). The drinking water provided by your community water system, the Town of Woodworth Water System, has a fluoride concentration of between 0.6 mg/L and 2.2 mg/L. This information is being provided to you from sampling conducted in 2022.
Dental fluorosis, in its moderate or severe forms, may result in a brown staining and/or pitting of the permanent teeth. This problem occurs only in developing teeth, before they erupt from the gums. Children under nine should be provided with alternative sources of drinking water or water that has been treated to remove the fluoride to avoid the possibility of staining and pitting of their permanent teeth. You may also want to contact your dentist about proper use by young children of fluoride-containing products. Older children and adults may safely drink the water.
In October 2, 1987, EPA set enforceable drinking water standard for Fluoride at 4.0 mg/L. Drinking water containing more than 4.0 mg/L of fluoride can increase your risk of developing bone disease. Your drinking water does not contain more than 4 mg/l of Fluoride, but we are required to notify you when we discover that the fluoride levels in your drinking water exceed 2 mg/L because of cosmetic dental problem.
For more information, please call Mary D. Pringle of the Town of Woodworth Water System at 318-442-1198. Some home water treatment units are also available to remove fluoride from drinking water. To learn more about available home water treatment units, you may call NSF International at 1-877-8-NSF-HELP.
