WARNING SOUNDED ON FLUORIDE
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DRINKING WATER | WARNING SOUNDED ι ON FLUORIDE i NRC report concludes high levels in water can cause adverse health effects T HE CURRENT MAXIMUM I also describes studies that find level of fluoride that EPA IQ deficits in children in high- allows in U.S. drinking wa- fluoride areas. More research is ter—4mg/Lor4ppm—harmsteeth needed, however, to determine if and bones, says a report from the fluoride is indeed causing skeletal a study on infants' exposure to I National Research Council released fluorosis or lower intelligence, the fluoride. In 1997, the Institute of on March 22. About 200,000 report says. Medicine set a safe upper limit people in the U.S. consume water The NRC committee did not of 0.7 mg of fluoride per day for with naturally occurring fluoride specifically examine the health children under six months of age. levels of4mg/L or higher. risks or possible benefits of water EWG found that in 25 of the 28 On average, about 10% of chil- artificially fluoridated at 0.7 to 1.2 largest cities in the U.S., at least dren exposed to the maximum mg/L and consumed by more than 15% of formula-fed infants are contaminant level develop se- 160 million Americans. exposed to excessive levels of fluo- vere dental fluorosis, a perma- EPA should use the informa- ride, mostly from tap water used to nent condition characterized by tion in the report to do a new make infant formula. For example, discoloration and pitting of the risk assessment and set new fluo- 61% of the formula-fed babies in teeth, explains John Doull, pro- ride standards, says committee Boston ingest too much fluoride, fessor emeritus of pharmacology member Charles Poole, associate "Communities should move to and toxicology at the University of professor of epidemiology at the reduce the fluoride concentration Kansas Medical Center and chair University of North Carolina's in drinking water to a level that of the committee that wrote the School of Public Health. will protect infants," says E W G report. Children who drink wa- Also on March 22, the Environ- Senior Vice President Richard ter that meets EPA's secondary mental Working Group released I Wiles.—BETTE HILEMAN standard of 2 mg/L are at risk of a | less severe form of dental fluorosis, Π^ΤΤ^ΓΤΤΤΓΤΤ τ χ τ 7ΤΓΤΤ^7Τ7Τ~Γ~ involvingonlydiscolorationofthê TURMOIL IN ACADEMIA teethhesays British Chemistry Department Faces Closure In addition, "a population with i lifetime exposure to fluoride in Jk University of Sussex proposal to re- versity, Kings College London, and other British I water at concentrations of 4 mg/ £\ duce the number of academic staff in its universities. Lor higher is likely to experience ^^m chemistry department from M to sev- The proposals were put to the university's aca- more bone fractures than groups en, change the name to the department of chem- demie body (Senate) on March 17 and were set to exposed to 1 mg/L," Doull says. ical biology, and abandon chemistry degree pro- go to the university's governing body on March 24. "Our coinmittoe unanimously con- grams has invoked impassioned responses from The Senate endorsed the strategic direction of the eluded that EPA should lower the British chemists. proposals but proposed that the university should maximum contaminant level goal The plan will cripple all the chemical scienc- hold off making decisions on the plan. The univer- for fluoride in drinking water." es at the university, including medicine, says Sir sity now aims to complete a review of the options | The report discusses a number Harold W. Kroto in a video appeal to the universi- in the next six or seven weeks and then call a spe- of other adverse health effects that ty (tinyurl.com/j2qmj). Kroto, who is now at Flor- cial meeting of the Senate. may be associated w i t h excessive ida State University, was a member of the Sus- The House of Commons Science & Technology fluoride exposure but comes to no sex chemistry department when he shared the Committee is scheduled this week to consider the definitive conclusions. For exam- 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery of Sussex proposal. pie, it says that lifetime exposure fullerenes. Richard Pike, chief executive of Britain's Roy- j to fluoride at 4 mg/L can lead to The Sussex proposal is part of a strategic plan al Society of Chemistry, comments that "RSC be- [ bone fluoride levels associated w i t h to strengthen the university's research and teach- lieves that no university can claim to be a real uni- the most severe stages of skeletal ing in biosciences alongside investments in other versity without chemistry," because chemistry is fluorosis, a painful disease that science areas and the arts. The plan follows the universally considered "the central science."— | resembles arthritis. The report closure of chemistry departments at Exeter Uni- MICHAEL FREEMANTLE WWW.CEN-0NLINE.ORG C&EN / MARCH 27, 2006 1 1 NEWS OF THE WEEK
Transcript of WARNING SOUNDED ON FLUORIDE
D R I N K I N G W A T E R |
WARNING SOUNDED ι ON FLUORIDE i NRC report concludes high levels in water can cause adverse health effects
T HE CURRENT MAXIMUM I also describes studies that find
level of fluoride that EPA IQ deficits in children in high-allows in U.S. drinking wa- fluoride areas. More research is
ter—4mg/Lor4ppm—harmsteeth needed, however, to determine if and bones, says a report from the fluoride is indeed causing skeletal a study on infants' exposure to I National Research Council released fluorosis or lower intelligence, the fluoride. In 1997, the Institute of on March 22. About 200 ,000 report says. Medicine set a safe upper limit people in the U.S. consume water The NRC committee did not of 0.7 mg of fluoride per day for with naturally occurring fluoride specifically examine the health children under six months of age. levels of4mg/L or higher. risks or possible benefits of water EWG found that in 25 of the 28
On average, about 10% of chil- artificially fluoridated at 0.7 to 1.2 largest cities in the U.S., at least dren exposed to the maximum mg/L and consumed by more than 15% of formula-fed infants are contaminant level develop se- 160 million Americans. exposed to excessive levels of fluo-vere dental fluorosis, a perma- EPA should use the informa- ride, mostly from tap water used to nent condition characterized by tion in the report to do a new make infant formula. For example, discoloration and pitting of the risk assessment and set new fluo- 61% of the formula-fed babies in teeth, explains John Doull, pro- ride standards, says committee Boston ingest too much fluoride, fessor emeritus of pharmacology member Charles Poole, associate "Communities should move to and toxicology at the University of professor of epidemiology at the reduce the fluoride concentration Kansas Medical Center and chair University of North Carolina's in drinking water to a level that of the committee that wrote the School of Public Health. will protect infants," says E W G report. Children who drink wa- Also on March 22, the Environ- Senior Vice President Richard ter that meets EPA's secondary mental Working Group released I Wiles.—BETTE HILEMAN standard of 2 mg/L are at risk of a | less severe form of dental fluorosis, Π^ΤΤ^ΓΤΤΤΓΤΤ τ χ τ 7ΤΓΤΤ^7Τ7Τ~Γ~ involvingonlydiscolorationofthê T U R M O I L I N A C A D E M I A
teethhesays British Chemistry Department Faces Closure In addition, "a population with i
l i fet ime exposure to fluoride i n Jk University of Sussex proposal to re- versity, Kings College London, and other British I water at concentrations of 4 mg/ £ \ duce the number of academic staff in its universities. L o r higher is likely to experience ^ ^ m chemistry department from M to sev- The proposals were put to the university's aca-more bone fractures than groups en, change the name to the department of chem- demie body (Senate) on March 17 and were set to exposed to 1 mg/L," Dou l l says. ical biology, and abandon chemistry degree pro- go to the university's governing body on March 24. "Our coinmittœ unanimously con- grams has invoked impassioned responses from The Senate endorsed the strategic direction of the eluded that EPA should lower the British chemists. proposals but proposed that the university should maximum contaminant level goal The plan will cripple all the chemical scienc- hold off making decisions on the plan. The univer-for fluoride in drinking water." es at the university, including medicine, says Sir sity now aims to complete a review of the options |
The report discusses a number Harold W. Kroto in a video appeal to the universi- in the next six or seven weeks and then call a spe-of other adverse health effects that ty (tinyurl.com/j2qmj). Kroto, who is now at Flor- cial meeting of the Senate. may be associated w i th excessive ida State University, was a member of the Sus- The House of Commons Science & Technology fluoride exposure but comes to no sex chemistry department when he shared the Committee is scheduled this week to consider the definitive conclusions. For exam- 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery of Sussex proposal. pie, i t says that lifetime exposure fullerenes. Richard Pike, chief executive of Britain's Roy- j to fluoride at 4 mg/L can lead to The Sussex proposal is part of a strategic plan al Society of Chemistry, comments that "RSC be- [ bone fluoride levels associated wi th to strengthen the university's research and teach- lieves that no university can claim to be a real uni-the most severe stages of skeletal ing in biosciences alongside investments in other versity without chemistry," because chemistry is fluorosis, a painful disease that science areas and the arts. The plan follows the universally considered "the central science."— | resembles arthri t is. The report closure of chemistry departments at Exeter Uni- MICHAEL FREEMANTLE W W W . C E N - 0 N L I N E . O R G C & E N / M A R C H 2 7 , 2 0 0 6 1 1
NEWS OF THE WEEK
