Fluoride is a mineral that can exist in drinking water naturally and unnaturally. Its benefits or harms are a matter of perspective as you will come to realize as you read through this blog. I will steer clear of the contentious nature of the topic and present you with the facts about Fluoride and how to identify and manage it in your drinking water using filtration.
Facts about Fluoride
- Fluoride (chemical symbol F-) is a mineral found in our water, air, food, and soil.
- Fluoride exists in various quantities in our drinking water from the tap.
- Fluoride may also exist in bottled water of some popular brands (see below)
| Bottled Water Brand | Presence of Fluoride | Quantity (PPM) |
|---|---|---|
| Culligan | No | – |
| Zephyrhills Spring Water | Yes | 0.11 |
| Zephyrhills Distilled Water | No | – |
| Sierra Springs Floridated Water | Yes | < 0.7 |
| Evian | Yes | 0.1 |
| Kirkland Spring Water | Yes | 0.1 |
| Kirkland Sparkling Water | Yes | .3 |
| Kirkland Purified Water | No | – |
| Aquafina Water | No | – |
| VOSS Water | Yes | 0.1 |
| Fiji Natural Artesan Water | Yes | 0.24 |
| Dasani Water | No | – |
| Nestle Pure Life | Yes | 0.3 |
- “Fluoridation” is the process of artificially adding Fluoride to water.
- Water Fluoridation is supported by many large health organizations. These include:
– American Dental Association
– World Health Organization
– Center for Disease Control
– American Medical Association
– The Canadian Dental Association
– The Canadian Medical Association
– The Canadian Pediatric Society
– The Canadian Public Health Association
- Most communities in the US and Canada use fluoridated tap water
- According to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, community water fluoridation is “one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century”.
- Fluoridation has been used since the 1940s
- Adding Fluoride to the community tap water is a violation of someone’s personal choice called “Informed Consent.”
- More people are drinking fluoridated water in the United States than in the rest of the world combined.
- Fluoride inhibits or reverses the initiation and progression of dental caries (tooth decay) and stimulates new bone formation [1]
- The amount of Fluoride ingested is proportional to the amount of water you drink. That is, people in warmer climates who likely drink more water receive higher doses of Fluoride than people in colder climates
What are the Effects of Fluoride on your Health?
When present in small quantities, studies show that children who drink fluoridated water develop strong teeth and can expect up to 35 percent less tooth decay than those who drink non-fluoridated water. This benefit extends to adults who can expect to have less tooth decay or other cavity-related oral health problems with fluoridated water.
However, when present in larger quantities, there is an increased risk of severe dental and skeletal fluorosis and possible bone fractures. Dental fluorosis is a cosmetic condition that affects the teeth causing those with it to have mildly discolored teeth or in more severe cases yellow/brown stains on their teeth. Skeletal fluorosis is a bone disease resulting in weakened bones.
When present in excessive quantities (possibly due to major issues with the fluoridation process, or unexpected ingestion of fluoride products…etc), it can result in nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, periostitis, and even death in rare cases.
Allowable Concentrations of Fluoride in Drinking Water
The scientific consensus is that drinking water with a fluoride concentration of about 0.7 ppm is a safe and effective public health measure for improved oral health. The maximum allowable fluoride concentration in drinking water varies with the various organizations as indicated below.
- US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – 4.0 PPM
- Health Canada – 1.5 PPM
- World Health Organization -1.5 PPM
Testing Fluoride Concentrations in your Drinking Water
As explained here, performing a water analysis on your drinking water is a prerequisite to understanding your specific needs for water filtration. There are simple and inexpensive test kits on the market that will allow you to accomplish this effectively. For your information, I have reviewed the best drinking water test kits here. It is worth noting that not all kits test for Fluoride so please review the details of the products before selecting a test kit for your needs. The following two of the top test kits researched test for Fluoride:
Where to buy: Amazon, Amazon.ca
Where to buy: Amazon.ca
How to Control Fluoride in your Drinking Water
Some under sink water filter systems will reduce Fluoride in water but the majority of them will not. The only one of the top 5 under sink water filter systems reviewed here that reduce fluoride is the Waterdrop TSA 3-Stage Under Sink Water Filter System shown below.
Where to buy: Amazon, Waterdrop
The fact is, removing fluoride from water is not easy because you need a filter that removes dissolved solids smaller than 1 micron. Also, we need to do this without removing the beneficial minerals in water like calcium, potassium, and magnesium that are greater than 1 micron so it is tricky. To effectively reduce/remove fluoride from your drinking water, I recommend installing a Reverse Osmosis (RO) system but this will be more expensive. You will have to carefully weigh the pros and the cons of your decision.
Conclusion
I hope that I have provided you with sufficient insight into the pros and cons of fluoride in drinking water and allowed you to make your best decision on whether to maintain, reduce, or eliminate it from your drinking water. Should you have any comments on the above, please provide them below and I will do my utmost to respond to them promptly.
References
- Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Fluoride. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 1997.