A BRIEF HISTORY OF FLUORIDE The United States has been adding fluoride to the public water supply as early as the 1940s. It was thought that adding fluoride to drinking water would help lower the rate of tooth decay. Other countries quickly followed suit. In 2000, about 162 million Americans were drinking water that had fluoride artificially added.

Over the years, the toxic side effects of fluoride have become more apparent, and numerous countries have stopped artificially adding fluoride to their drinking water. More than 97% of western European countries have ceased this practice. Some countries have made fluoridated salt available, so that people who want to ingest fluoride still have the option. However, they have stopped forcing millions of people to ingest fluoride through their drinking water.