My daughter came back from the dentist the other day and reported that Vancouver does not fluoridate its water system.

Essendo cresciuto negli Stati Uniti, where water fluoridation is quite routine, I was surprised to learn of this fluoride policy.

I discovered that, according to Health Canada, meno della metà dei canadesi (approssimativamente 45 per cento) receive fluoridated water.

Sebbene Health Canada supports water fluoridation as a way to reduce tooth decay, the decision to fluoridate water is a local one in Canada.

Toronto, Hamilton, Londra, and Edmonton are among the cities with fluoridated water. Water is not fluoridated in Vancouver, Victoria, Montreal, o Quebec City. Calgary previously fluoridated the city water, ma its city council voted in 2011 to discontinue the practice.

Negli Stati Uniti, più di 70 percent of Americans — or more than 204 milioni di persone — on community water systems have fluoridated water.

The percentage is even higher in Australia, dove circa 90 percent of the population receives fluoridated water.

Il U.K., like many European countries, has taken the opposite approach. Meno 10 percent of U.K. residents have fluoride added to their water supply.

One of the many unexpected things you learn when you move to a new country!

E tu? What facts surprised you when you moved abroad? Please leave a comment and share your discoveries.

Acqua foto vetro Greg Riegler Fotografia (flickr)