Environmental Protection Agency
ORG
Environmental Protection Agency
The 12-member panel, which spent almost three years studying the issue at the request of the Environmental Protection Agency, did not address the health effects of the much smaller amounts of fluoride added to the drinking water of 160 million Americans to prevent tooth decay. In a statement, the environmental agency responded that it would seriously consider the conclusions of the study, but that any changes in the standard would have to await a complete review of all data. Besides the 200,000 whose levels are four parts per million or higher, 1.4 million more are drinking water with two parts per million, a so-called secondary limit set by the E.P.A. to protect against cosmetic dental discoloration and other effects.