The fluoride content of bottled drinking waters

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Public Health
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Sales of bottled drinking water in the UK have tripled in the last five years.
• Understanding the fluoride content in bottled water is crucial for public health, particularly for children's dental health.
• Fluoride intake from various sources, including bottled water, needs careful consideration to prevent dental fluorosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the fluoride concentrations in bottled drinking waters available in the UK.
• To compare the accuracy of direct and acid diffusion methods for fluoride determination in bottled water.
• To assess the accuracy of manufacturers' fluoride concentration labels on bottled water products.

Main Methods:

• Collected 12 bottled water samples from two supermarkets in Leeds.
• Determined fluoride content using both direct and acid diffusion methods.
• Compared measured fluoride concentrations with manufacturers' label information.

Main Results:

• Fluoride content in bottled waters varied widely, ranging from 0.10 to 0.80 mg/l.
• No significant difference was observed between the direct and acid diffusion methods for fluoride determination.
• Manufacturers' labels for fluoride concentrations were frequently inaccurate.

Conclusions:

• Bottled drinking waters exhibit considerable variation in fluoride concentrations.
• Current labeling practices for fluoride in bottled water are unreliable.
• Healthcare professionals, especially dentists, should be aware of bottled water fluoride levels when advising on fluoride supplementation for children to mitigate risks of dental fluorosis.