Maryland
WATER FLUORIDATION STATUS:
- PERCENT OF PEOPLE SERVED BY PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS THAT ARE FLUORIDATED:
2018: 93.7% – ranked #10 among the states. NOTE: The CDC also ranked Ohio as #10.
2016: 93.4%
2014: 96.4%
2012: 97.2%
2006: 93.8%
2000: 90.7%
1992: 85.8% - To see if your town is fluoridated, click here.
- To learn when your town was fluoridated, and which fluoridation chemical it uses, click here.
WATER FLUORIDATION ACCIDENTS:
- NOVEMBER 1979 – Annapolis: Operator fails to close valve of fluoride container; causing 1,000 gallons of fluoride to be dumped into the water supply. 1 dialysis patient dies, 1 suffers a heart attack, 1 develops long-term brain damage, while others experience nausea, hypotension (low blood pressure), chest pain or pressure, diarrhea, itching, flushing, vomiting (blood tinged), weakness, dyspnea (breathing difficulty), profuse sweating, shakiness, localized numbness, abdominal cramping, and headache. Others not on dialysis experience nausea, headache, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and dizziness. Pepsi Cola files suit for $1.6 million for damage to product, while a surviving dialysis patient with resulting brain damage sues for $210 million. (SOURCE: Bevis 1981 | Evening Capital 1982. Also, Baltimore Sun (11/28/79); Clinical Toxicology, Vol. 18, No.5, pp. 531-541, 1981; “Field Investigations Report”, Dept of Health and Mental Hygiene (3/19/80); MMWR, Center for Disease Control, 29:No. 12 (3/28/80))
LATEST NEWS:
- To see the latest news on fluoride developments in Maryland, click here.
- To see an updated list of Maryland’s professionals calling for an end to fluoridation, click here.
Maryland’s FLUORIDATION LAW:
- The State of Maryland does not mandate fluoridation. Local governments control fluoridation policy in MD. City councils can begin or discontinue fluoridation at their discretion, or by a referendum vote. Each community’s fluoridation ordinance is unique. To learn more about these fluoridation ordinances, click here.
DATA ON ORAL HEALTH:
- 2007. Survey of the oral health status of Maryland school children 2005-2006. Authors: Richard J. Manski RJ, Chen H, Chenette RR, Coller S. University of Maryland Dental School. No mention of dental fluorosis.
- 2011. Maryland Oral Health Plan 2011-2015. Holt K., ed. Maryland Dental Action Coalition. This publication was made possible with support from the DentaQuest Foundation and the Division of Oral Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. No mention of dental fluorosis.
- 2012 Annual Oral Health Legislative Report as required by Health-General Article, Sections 13-2504(b) and 13-2506 and HB 70 (Ch. 656 of the Acts of 2009). No mention of dental fluorosis.
- 2013. Oral Health Survey of Maryland School Children, 2011-2012. By Macek MD, Coller S, Chen H, Manski RJ, Manz M, Altema-Johnson D, Goodman HS. University of Maryland School of Dentistry. No mention of dental fluorosis.
FAN’S STATE COORDINATOR IN Maryland:
If you live in MD and want to get the fluoride out of your water contact Bernie Miltenberger, FAN’s Maryland state coordinator.
Maryland COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE REJECTED FLUORIDATION:
| Community | Date |
| Thurmont | February 3, 1994 |
| Middletown | November 1993 |
MARYLAND WATER SYSTEMS WITH HIGH FLUORIDE LEVELS:
| Water System | County | Population Size | Fluoride Level (ppm) |
| Caroline Acres TP | Caroline | 375 | 1.8 |
| Crisfield | Somerset | 4,578 | 1.9 |
| Frenchtown | Somerset | 35 | 5.0 |
| Greensboro | Caroline | 1,500 | 1.5 |
| Oxford Utilities | Talbot | 850 | 1.9 |
| Rumbley | Somerset | 190 | 5.1 |
| Smith Island-Capitol-Ewell | Somerset | 38 | 1.9 |
| Smith Island-Ewell | Somerset | 150 | 1.5 |
| Smith Island-Field-Ewell | Somerset | 76 | 1.6 |
| Smith Island-Hill-Ewell | Somerset | 100 | 1.6 |
| Smith Island-Mid Town-Ewell | Somerset | 34 | 1.6 |
| Smith Island-Rhodes Point S | Somerset | 100 | 2.2 |
| Smith Island-Tylerton | Somerset | 165 | 1.9 |
| Information from CDC’s Fluoridation Census published in 1993. | |||
FLUORIDE POLLUTION SOURCES IN MARYLAND:
In 2008, Maryland ranked #18 out of 48 states for Hydrogen Fluoride releases (1,233,217 pounds) into the environment. The following data comes from EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). “Total releases” includes both water and air pollution. It’s important to note, however, that not all industries or sources that release fluoride into the environment are included in the TRI.
| 2008 Releases (in pounds) |
Type of Industry | Name of Industry |
| 580,058 | Coal-fired power plant | BRANDON SHORES & WAGNER COMPLEX. 1000 BRANDON SHORES RD, BALTIMORE, Maryland 21226 (ANNE ARUNDEL) |
| 226,700 | Coal-fired power plant | MORGANTOWN GENERATING STATION. 12620 CRAIN HWY, NEWBURG, Maryland 20664 (CHARLES) |
| 139,200 | Coal-fired power plant | CHALK POINT GENERATING STATION. 25100 CHALK POINT RD, AQUASCO, Maryland 20608 (PRINCE GEORGES) |
| 102,300 | Coal-fired power plant | MIRANT DICKERSON GENERATING STATION. 21200 MARTINSBURG RD, DICKERSON, Maryland 20842 (MONTGOMERY) |
| 88,088 | Coal-fired power plant | CP CRANE GENERATING STATION. 1001 CARROLL ISLAND RD, BALTIMORE, Maryland 21220 (BALTIMORE) |
| 62,000 | Paper | LUKE PAPER CO. 300 PRATT ST, LUKE, Maryland 21540 (ALLEGANY) |
| 30,000 | Coal-fired power plant | ALLEGHENY ENERGY INC R PAUL SMITH POWER STATION. 15952 LOCKWOOD RD, WILLIAMSPORT, Maryland 21795 (WASHINGTON) |
| 4,404 | Coal-fired power plant | AES WARRIOR RUN INC. 11600 MEXICO FARMS RD SE, CUMBERLAND, Maryland 21502 (ALLEGANY) |
| 457 | Stone/Clay/Glass | REDLAND BRICK INC CUSHWA PLANT. 15718 CLEAR SPRING RD, WILLIAMSPORT, Maryland 21795 (WASHINGTON) |
| 10 | Computers/Electronics | BP SOLAR INTERNATIONAL LLC. 630 SOLAREX CT, FREDERICK, Maryland 21703 (FREDERICK) |
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