Fluoride, dissolved

Overview

Fluoride is present in nearly all natural waters, although concentrations are normally less than 1 milligram per liter (Hem, 1985). Fluoride typically is present in mineral grains in rocks. Fluoride is added to many drinking water supplies to assist in making teeth harder.

Water-quality standards and criteria are developed by the States, approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), and then promulgated (passed into law) as standards by each State. Graphs on this website allow comparison of measured and computed data to these standards and criteria by plotting them as straight lines. When evaluating data to decide whether water quality is suitable for the intended use, viewers are cautioned to consider the uncertainty associated with these computed data.