The MCLG for fluoride is 4.0 mg/L or 4.0 ppm. EPA has set this level of protection based on the best available science to prevent potential health problems. EPA has set an enforceable regulation for fluoride, called a maximum contaminant level (MCL), at 4.0 mg/L or 4.0 ppm. MCLs are set as close to the health goals as possible, considering cost, benefits and the ability of public water systems to detect and remove contaminants using suitable treatment technologies. In this case, the MCL equals the MCLG, because analytical methods or treatment technology do not pose any limitation. EPA has also set a secondary standard (SMCL) for fluoride at 2.0 mg/L or 2.0 ppm. Secondary standards are non-enforceable guidelines regulating contaminants that may cause cosmetic effects (such as skin or tooth discoloration) or aesthetic effects (such as taste, odor, or color) in drinking water. EPA recommends secondary standards to water systems but does not require systems to comply. However, states may choose to adopt them as enforceable standards. Tooth discoloration and/or pitting is caused by excess fluoride exposures during the formative period prior to eruption of the teeth in children. The secondary standard of 2.0 mg/L is intended as a guideline for an upper bound level in areas which have high levels of naturally occurring fluoride. The level of the SMCL was set based upon a balancing of the beneficial effects of protection from tooth decay and the undesirable effects of excessive exposures leading to discoloration.

Originally posted by chr0naut
reply to post by kn0wh0w

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While I also believe that Flouride is a poison in the way it is distributed to us, I would urge caution in evaluating anything Dr Mercola is promoting.

He uses scare tactics as part of his marketing campaigns and is very "flexible" in his interpretation of data.

Not saying wrong, but get a second (or third) opinion.

Originally posted by abeverage
reply to post by kn0wh0w

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I blame all the fluoride in me for missing that...

Keep educating!

DM: Fluoride is naturally present in the soil.
JG: Right. It’s active in the soil and it’s taken up whereas most plants would just die and not utilize it at all. There are cases where people have actually taken the powdered type of dry tea that they make for iced tea during the day. They had actually gotten the skeletal fluorosis which is basically the accumulation of so much fluoride in your bones that they are basically becoming crippled by the fluoride itself just because they drink that much tea and the tea had that high concentration and nobody told them about it.

The US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) revised rule on National Organic Standards (NOS), proposed in March 2000, was finalized in December. For the most part, the standards have been written with care and integrity. For the rest, they attracted over 40,000 comments from the public. The standards were first proposed in 1997 and included proposals to use sewage sludge, irradiation, antibiotics in livestock, and genetically modified organisms. USDA withdrew the proposal after receiving over 275,000 comments from the public-- the most comments received on any US agency proposal in history.

In the main the public's efforts on this issue paid off well. In the final NOS the four practices listed above were out, but unfortunately, despite over 100 comments, those concerned about fluoride were ignored. Incredibly, the new standards allow the use of the toxic substance sodium fluoride in organic agriculture.