Excerpt from article titled
Minerals in drinking water could pose limited health risks: Public health.

The Woodstock area’s public health unit has issued another public reminder about the levels of naturally present fluoride and sodium in some of Oxford County’s municipal drinking water.

Southwestern public health officials, who regularly issue these reminders, said these naturally occurring minerals may pose concerns for some residents. Parents with children seven years of age and younger should be aware of fluoride exposure to prevent dental fluorosis, while those on sodium-restricted diets should pay close attention to the sodium they may be ingesting from municipal water.

Amy Pavletic, the agency’s program manager of environmental health, said the health unit is responsible for letting the public know this information.

“The drinking water in Oxford County is unique in the sense that the groundwater comes from underground aquifers that have naturally occurring levels of fluoride and sodium,” she said.

… When it comes to fluoride in the water supply, Pavletic noted there is no health concern but instead an issue of esthetics.

“It is to protect against dental fluorosis or discolouration of teeth in children seven years of age and under. Because of the naturally occurring fluoride, Oxford County does not add it to the drinking water. It is low and safe for the public to drink.

“However, when the levels do get high, we want to make sure people with children under the age of seven know they could have some small flecks or observed marks on their teeth indicating fluorosis,” she said.

While fluoride levels as high as 2.4 mg/L are safe to drink, a reading above 1.5 mg/L could lead to discolouration. Fluoride levels higher than 1.5 mg/L have been reported in the communities of Brownsville, Ingersoll, Lakeside, Mount Elgin, and Oxford South [our emphasis] during recent sampling events. Health unit officials recommended households with young children in these communities cut back on other sources of fluoride, like choosing non-fluoride toothpaste, to prevent fluorosis.

Despite these concerns, Pavletic said she wouldn’t necessarily recommend drinking bottled water or using the various filtration systems on the market.

“You don’t have to buy other sources (of water) if it’s not something that concerns you. It’s really about people taking their health into their own hands when it comes to these elevated levels,” she said.

Oxford County’s 17 municipal drinking water systems are continuously monitored to ensure safety and quality.

The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

Original article online at https://www.woodstocksentinelreview.com/news/local-news/minerals-in-drinking-water-could-pose-limited-health-risks-public-health

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