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You'Re listening to Short Wave from NPR.
Hey, Short Wavers.
Emily Kwong here.
I'm back again with Ping Huang.
Hello.
Hello.
To look at what is in our drinking water this time, fluoride.
Yep.
We're talking fluoride, which is a topic that NPR has covered in drinking water around the US for literally decades.
Fluoride is a very common mineral that occurs naturally in almost all soil, in water, even in many rocks.
I didn't know that fluoride's hanging out in the rocks.
Okay.
And most people in the US get fluoridated drinking water.
It's added to the water to prevent tooth decay in cavities.
The current US Public Health Service recommendation is 0.7 parts per million optimally, which is 3 drops in a 55 gallon barrel.
Okay.
Not higher, not lower, just 0.7 parts per million.