Standards and Regulations Related to Fluoride in Drinking Water
Water fluoridation is the practice of adjusting the fluoride content of drinking water. Fluoride is added to water for the public health benefit of greatly reducing the incidence of tooth decay and therefore improving the health of the community.
NSF certifies three products in the fluoridation category:
- 1
Fluorosilicic acid (aka fluosilicic acid or hydrofluosilicic acid)
- 2
Sodium fluorosilicate (aka sodium silicofluoride)
- 3
Sodium fluoride
All three products readily dissociate in water to release fluoride and related ions. In the case of the fluorosilicates, they fully dissociate to fluoride and silicate ions in association with either hydrogen or sodium ions1. In the case of sodium fluoride, it fully dissociates to form fluoride and sodium ions.
Treatment products that are used for fluoridation are specifically addressed in Section 7 of NSF/ANSI/CAN 60. The standard requires that the treatment products added to drinking water, as well as any impurities in the products, are supported by an evaluation of potential health effects resulting from exposure to the products or associated contaminants.
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