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Fluoride in Burbank’s Water Supply
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) supplies about 55% of Burbank’s drinking water. Since November of 2007, MWD started adding fluoride to their water supply. Before MWD delivers drinking water to your home or business tap, the fluoridated MWD water is blended with Burbank’s groundwater.
Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about fluoride in drinking water.
Q. What is fluoride? It is a naturally occurring mineral derived from fluorine, an abundant element in surface water (lakes, rivers and oceans) and groundwater (water from rain that percolates through the soil and into underground reservoirs called aquifers).
Q. What are the benefits of fluoride? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the fluoridation of community drinking water is the most cost effective and safe way to reduce and control tooth decay. More than 50 years of scientific research has led to the conclusion that people who live in communities with fluoridated water have healthier teeth and fewer cavities than those living where water is not fluoridated.
Q. How much fluoride will MWD add to Burbank’s community drinking water? MWD’s water naturally has 0.1 to 0.4 parts per million (ppm) of fluoride, and they increase the amount to 0.7 to 0.9 ppm. Since Burbank’s groundwater has a naturally high fluoride level of 0.4 to 0.6 ppm, the resulting new concentration will be 0.6 to 0.8 ppm in our community drinking water. The optimal range for fluoride is 0.7 to 1.2 ppm.
Q. How is “parts per million” defined?
One second of time in approximately 11½ days
One drop of food dye in 16 gallons of water
One large mouthful in a lifetime of eating
One ounce of sugar in 7,813 gallons of Kool-Aid
One dollar bill in a stack of new dollar bills 250 feet high
One inch in 16 miles
1/32 of an inch of a football field
One minute of 2 years
One penny of $10,000
Q. What are the fluoride levels at my home? Burbank has a new feature on the web site displaying a map that has the fluoride levels at twelve locations around the city. This new fluoride map will be updated periodically.
Q. What if I don’t want to drink fluoridated water? Home water treatment units that use reverse osmosis membrane filters can effectively remove fluoride from tap water. See the Related Links page for Residential Water Treatment Devices.
Click here for more FAQs provided by MWD
