Fluoride can be found naturally in surface and groundwater. The optimum amount of fluoride in drinking water helps protect against tooth decay. Drinking water is all water used to drink or prepare drinks, including infant formula, and water used for cooking.
What is the standard for levels of fluoride in drinking water?
For good dental health, Health Canada recommends drinking water with 0.7 mg/L (milligrams per litre) of fluoride.
Drinking water with too much fluoride can affect your health. There are guidelines that set the highest level of fluoride in water that is safe to drink, called the maximum recommended level.
The
Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality maximum recommended level for fluoride is
1.5 mg/L.
Fluoride levels higher than 1.5 mg/L may:
- cause white spots to form on tooth enamel (called dental fluorosis) in children up to the age of 8
- raise the risk of skeletal fluorosis, a condition that causes bones to break easily and causes calcium to build up in ligaments and tendons
Fluoride can't get through your skin. It's safe to use water with fluoride levels above 1.5 mg/L for washing dishes, doing laundry, handwashing, and bathing.
What should I do if there are high levels of fluoride in my drinking water?
Drinking water that comes from a well may have fluoride levels that are too high. If your drinking water has more than 1.5 mg/L of fluoride, you may need to take steps to protect your health. Learn more about
testing your drinking water in Alberta.
|
Level of fluoride in drinking water |
What to do |
| Lower than 1.5 mg/L | No action needed |
Over 1.5 mg/L
| - Use drinking water from another source.
- Lower the level of fluoride in your water to 1.5 mg/L or less.
|
What to do
If your drinking water has too much fluoride, here are ways to protect your health:
- Use drinking water from another source, such as treated public water or bottled water. These water sources have fluoride levels of 1.5 mg/L or less.
- Use reverse osmosis (forcing water through a membrane that filters out minerals like fluoride) to lower that level of fluoride.
- Use distillation (a system that boils water, catches the steam, and condenses it to liquid while leaving the fluoride out) to lower the level of fluoride.
- Combine your water supply with water from another source to lower the level of fluoride in your drinking water.
Choosing equipment
Choose equipment that is certified by NSF or the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) that specifically reference fluoride for health effect. Follow the manufacturer's directions.
Don't use pour-through or pitcher-type filters, because they don't remove fluoride.
Where can I learn more?
For more information and help to lower the level of fluoride in your drinking water, contact Alberta Health Services
Environmental Public Health.
