Higher fluoride levels recently reported by Lancaster Bureau of Water system are still safe

Sep 16, 2023

Lancaster residents who received letters alerting them to high fluoride levels in drinking water should not worry, experts say.

In late December, the Lancaster Bureau of Water learned it had violated the Pennsylvania drinking water standard for fluoride after testing found its system's drinking water contained .31 milligrams per liter more than the mandated 2.0 mg/L. The violation prompted the city to begin daily fluoride tests, the letter said, and fluoride levels have met the standard since then.

Elevated fluoride levels affected customers in the city, as well as parts of East Lampeter, West Lampeter, Manheim, Lancaster, Manor, East Hempfield and West Hempfield townships and Millersville Borough.

Helen Hawkey, executive director of the Pennsylvania Coalition for Oral Health, said people should not worry about the fluoride increase. No one is at risk even though levels were technically higher than usual. At 2.3 mg/L, the only potential effects could be cosmetic staining on the teeth of children 9 or younger called fluorosis, Hawkey said. The Environmental Protection Agency sets the maximum contamination level at 4.0 mg/L, so Lancaster stayed well below the national limit.

"It would take significantly longer than a few days of higher exposure for this to be any risk to those with developing teeth," Hawkey said via email. "So, there is no concern for the residents at those levels and it is not an emergency."

Hawkey said the city acted appropriately; the EPA requires municipalities to alert residents within a year of discovering high fluoride levels. The city sent out letters Jan. 20, a little less than a month after the Dec. 28 testing.

According to the EPA, fluoride is added to drinking water to prevent cavities, and the decision to add fluoride is made on a local basis. Drinking water with more than 4.0 mg/L can result in bone disease over time.

Hawkey said fluoride violations are rare in Pennsylvania, and she could recall only one similar instance in the last six years. There might have been a mechanical issue that resulted in higher levels, she said, as fluoride is typically adjusted in a liquid or powder form. A call to the Bureau of Water seeking the exact cause for the elevated levels was not immediately returned.

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