By Alex Fees

St. Charles, MO (KSDK) - Officials in St. Charles last month reduced the amount of fluoride in the city's water supply to levels currently recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

HHS is proposing that the recommended level of fluoride in drinking water can be set at the lowest end of the current optimal range to prevent tooth decay. Their proposed recommendation of 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water replaces the current recommended range of 0.7 to 1.2 milligrams.

St. Charles officials reduced fluoride in their water supply to 0.6 or 0.7 ppm.

"And the reason was HHS officials felt there was over-fluoridation. And they felt children were getting over-fluoridated through dentists, toothpastes, and also through water supplies," said St. Charles Water Systems Manager Mike Richter.

Richter also said St. Charles purchases half of the city's water supply from St. Louis, and officials there have already reduced the fluoride levels to 0.6 parts per million. He said St. Charles officials wanted to avoid a situation where half of the city's water supply contained one level of fluoride, and the other half contained a different level.

KSDK