Fluoridation is a decision each water system makes, not a federal requirement. In Virginia the State Board of Health, the State Health Commissioner and the Virginia Department of Health all recommend that community water systems deliver the optimum concentration set by the U.S. Public Health Service. Since 2015 that optimum has been a single number: 0.7 mg/L, which is the same as 0.7 parts per million.
What each local system does
| System | Fluoridated | Target | How to confirm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfax Water | Yes | 0.7 ppm | Fairfax Water states the target on its own fluoride page |
| Loudoun Water | Yes, inherited | 0.7 ppm | Loudoun buys most of its water from Fairfax Water, so it arrives already treated |
| Arlington and Falls Church | Yes | 0.7 ppm | Both buy finished water from the Washington Aqueduct. Confirm in the annual water quality report |
| DC Water | Yes | 0.7 ppm | Same Washington Aqueduct source and treatment |
| Other Virginia community systems | Usually | 0.7 mg/L where they fluoridate | Ask the utility, or read its annual report. Fluoridation is a system-by-system decision |
| Private wells | No | Whatever nature put there | Nobody adds it and nobody removes it. Some Virginia groundwater carries fluoride naturally, occasionally above the EPA limit, which only a lab test will tell you |
The three numbers people mix up
- 0.7 mg/L, the target. What the Public Health Service recommends and what fluoridating systems aim for. Set in 2015, replacing an older range that went up to 1.2.
- 2.0 mg/L, the secondary standard. Not enforceable. It addresses cosmetic effects on developing teeth rather than a health risk.
- 4.0 mg/L, the legal limit. The EPA's enforceable maximum contaminant level. Nearly six times the treatment target.
So a fluoridated system in this region runs at roughly one sixth of the enforceable limit. That is a very different picture from the contaminants on the rest of your report, where the legal limit is often the thing being approached rather than the thing being avoided. See how your own report reads.
What removes it, and what does not
Where this site stands
Fluoridation at 0.7 mg/L is recommended by the U.S. Public Health Service and the CDC to reduce tooth decay, and endorsed by the Virginia Department of Health. It is also a genuine public debate, and it is a policy choice your local system makes rather than something imposed federally.
This site's job is not to tell you what to think about it. It is to tell you what your utility actually does, at what level, how that compares to the limits, and what would remove it if you decide you want it out. That is the same standard applied to every other line on your report.
Fluoride is one line. See the rest.
Your utility publishes far more than its fluoride target. Type your ZIP and see every contaminant it reported, against both the legal limit and the stricter health guideline. Free, no login.