Arizona

WATER FLUORIDATION STATUS:

• PERCENT OF PEOPLE SERVED BY PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS THAT ARE FLUORIDATED:
  2018: 58.0% – ranked #38 among the states (100% fluoridated is ranked #1)
  2016: 57.8%
  2014: 57.8%
  2012: 57.8%
  2006: 56.1%
  2000: 55.5%
  1992: 49.9%
• To see if your town is fluoridated, click here.
• To learn when your town was fluoridated, and which fluoridation chemical it uses, click here.

LATEST NEWS:

• To see the latest news on fluoride developments in Arizona, click here.
• To see an updated list of Arizona professionals calling for an end to fluoridation, click here.

Fluoridated Cities and towns in Arizona noted by Michael Dolan in his November 2021 Fluoridation Review:

Cities and towns that are naturally fluoridated: (incomplete) Apache Junction, Casa Grande, Catalina, Douglas, Eloy, Fort Huachuca, Fountain Hills, Gila Bend, Goodyear, Kingman, Lake Havasu, Litchfield Park, Nogales, Scottsdale, Sun City West, Sun Lakes, Surprise.
Cities and towns that are artificially fluoridated: (incomplete) Bisbee, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, Guadalupe, Mesa, Peoria, Phoenix, Tempe, Yuma.
Fluoridated and non-fluoridated cities and towns by county (incomplete), non-fluoridated means no added fluoride
Apache County, non-fluoridated: Eagar, Springerville, St. John’s
Cochise County, fluoridated: Willcox; non-fluoridated: Benson, Bisbee, Douglas, Huachuca City, Tombstone.
Coconino County,non-fluoridated: Flagstaff, Fredonia, Page
Gila County, fluoridated: Winkelman; non-fluoridated: Globe, Hayden, Miami, Payson, Star Valley.
Graham County,non-fluoridated: Safford
Greenlee County, non-fluoridated: Duncan
La Paz County, fluoridated: Quartzside; non-fluoridated: Parker
Maricopa County, fluoridated: Carefree, Chandler, Gila Bend, Gilbert, Glendale, Mesa, Peoria, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Wickenburg; non-fluoridated: Avondale, Buckeye, Cave Creek, El Mirage, Goodyear, Litchfield Park, Paraside Valley, Queen Creek, Surprise, Tolleson.
Mohave County, non-fluoridated: Kingman, Lake Havasu City
Navajo County, non-fluoridated: Holbrook, Pinetop-Lakeside, Snowflake, Taylor, Winslow
Pima County, non-fluoridated: Oro Valley, Sahuarita, Tucson
Pinal County, fluoridated: Coolidge, Mammoth; non-fluoridated: Eloy, Florence, Kearny, Maricopa, Superior.
Santa Cruz County, non-fluoridated: Nogales, Patagonia
Yavapai County, fluoridated: Camp Verde, Dewey-Humboldt; non-fluoridated: Cottonwood, Jerome, Prescott Valley.
Yuma County, fluoridated: Yuma; non-fluoridated: San Luis, Somerton, Wellton.

Source: Arizona Department of Health Services, 2020, My Water Fluoride, CDC website, 2020

Public Water Systems with High Levels of Fluoride

Arizona has 126 Public Water Systems identified in 1993 with high levels of naturally occurring fluoride in their drinking water:

• 33 Systems with fluoride levels over 2.1 ppm
• 54 Systems with fluoride levels 1.1 to 2 ppm
• 39 Systems with fluoride levels 0.8 to 1.0 ppm

It is illegal for any Public Water System to deliver drinking water with fluoride concentrations higher than 2.0 ppm, which is still exceedingly high. Water departments deal with this issue by using filter systems to reduce the high levels of fluoride, in some cases blending with water supplies that have lower levels, or the abandonment of the water supply.

To find out the fluoride levels in your drinking water, contact your local water department. You can also go online to CDC’s My Water’s Fluoride.

The levels reported in 1993 for Public Water Systems with fluoride levels over 3 ppm:

1969 Natural Fluoride Content of Community Water Supplies – Online here

“A survey to determine the number and location of community water supplies contain­ing dentally significant concentrations of naturally occurring fluorides was made in early 1969 by the State Dental Directors at the request of the U.S. Public Health Service. This publication presents the results of this survey and serves to update a similar document published in 1959.¹ The 1959 publication included all communities reporting at least one water source with a natural fluoride concentration of 0. 7 parts per million (ppm) 2 or higher. This publication differs in that it lists all communities whose water supplies were reported to have a natural fluoride concentration of 0. 7 ppm or more regardless of the concentration of the various sources of water. This sur­vey attempted to identify public water systems in the United States which naturally contain the minimum fluoride concentration recommended by the Public Health Serv­ice as optimal for protection against dental caries.
“The optimum concentration of fluorides in community water supplies depends upon the annual average of maximum daily air temperatures in the individual community . According to Public Health Service Drinking Water Standards, 1962, the recommended concentrations are shown in Table 1…”

Arizona’S FLUORIDATION LAW:

• The State of Arizona does not mandate fluoridation.  Local governments control fluoridation policy in AZ.  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.

Of special interest:

Pure Wafer Inc., headquartered in Swansea, South Wales, prepares reclaimed silicon test wafers for the semiconductor industry at a facility in Prescott, Arizona. In September 2013 they sued the city regarding a difference of interpretation over the amount of fluoride they discharge into the city’s wastewater treatment system. “Pure Wafer’s lawsuit maintains that the company (formerly Exsil, Inc.) entered a ‘bargain’ with the city in 1997 under which the company would build a $45 million silicon wafer reclamation facility that would employ as many as 100 people… ‘Under that bargain Pure Wafer and the city understood, expected and agreed that Pure Wafer would be discharging into the city’s sewer system each day up to 195,000 gallons of effluent which would contain fluoride of up to 100 milligrams per liter,’ the lawsuit states (The Daily Courier, 11-18-14).” See all press reports

DATA ON ORAL HEALTH:

• 2005. The Oral Health of Arizona’s Children. Current status, trends, and disparities. Arizona Department of Health Services – Office of Oral Health. November.
  — Dental fluorosis mentioned once on page 18: “Consistent with recommendations developed by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, each tooth surface was scored for decay, restorations, sealants, fluorosis, trauma, premature loss, and eruption status. Additional information was gathered to determine treatment urgency and referral needs.” However, no statistics were given on dental fluorosis even though “More than 13,000 children received dental screenings.” and “each tooth surface was scored for decay, restorations, sealants, fluorosis, trauma, premature loss, and eruption status…”

FAN’S STATE COORDINATOR IN Arizona:

If you live in AZ and want to get the fluoride out of your water contact Laurie LeDuc, FAN’s Arizona state coordinator.

ARIZONA COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE REJECTED FLUORIDATION:

Fluoride Pollution Sources in Arizona:

In 2008, Arizona ranked #26 out of 48 states for Hydrogen fluoride releases (707,163 pounds). 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.

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