On March 22, 2006, a prestigious 12-member panel of the National Research Council completed a three year review of the appropriateness of the Environmental Protection Ageny's (EPA) safe drinking water standard for fluoride (the Maximum Contaminant Level Goal, or MCLG). After one of the most thorough and objective reviews of the literature in 60 years, the NRC panel unanimously found that the MCLG is too high and has asked EPA to lower the standard in order to protect children against severe dental fluorosis and to protect all groups from bone fracture. They have asked the EPA to perform a risk assessment to determine what the standard should be.