This Is Why Fluoride Is In Your Tap Water and How to Remove It

What Is Fluoride?

Fluorides are a group of compounds that contain fluorine, like sodium fluoride, stannous fluoride and MFP fluoride. Many of them occur naturally and are found in plant and animal foods. 

Once inside the body, fluorides collect in parts of the body that are high in calcium, like the bones and teeth.

The Goal of Water Fluoridation 

The goal of water fluoridation is to prevent tooth decay. 

Because fluorides collect in high-calcium areas like the teeth, they can help strengthen the tooth enamel and fight cavities. 

In the US, poor citizens have higher rates of tooth decay, and early tooth decay can cause pain, difficulty speaking, impaired eating, and negatively affect socioeconomic status. 

History of Water Fluoridation In the U.S.

Scientists first linked high levels of fluoride to low levels of tooth decay in 1945. 

Over the next few decades, more studies found connections between high-fluoride levels and fewer cavities. Before long, the practice of water fluoridation spread to cities across the country. 

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declares community water fluoridation to be one of the top 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century. Some experts, however, aren’t quite as supportive, but more on that in a sec...

How Is Fluoride Regulated?

Fluoridation is not officially required, but recommended levels are regulated by several government agencies, including:

• The United States Public Health Service (PHS) recommends 0.7 mg/L to prevent tooth decay
• The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends no more than 4.0 mg/L
• The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) limits bottled water manufacturers to no more than 1.7 mg/L

However, depending on who you talk to, recommended fluoride levels are all over the place, and many experts have begun to question the scientific basis of water fluoridation altogether…

Is Water Fluoridation All It’s Cracked Up to Be?

In June 2015, the prestigious Cochrane Collaboration of researchers and healthcare professionals published an analysis of 20 key studies on water fluoridation. 

According to Harvard Public Health, up to 97 percent of the studies on fluoridation were seriously flawed, and did not take into account the widespread use of fluoridated toothpaste. 

In other words, fluoridated toothpaste, not fluoridated water, is most likely the hero of the day. 

Although there’s no doubt that fluoridated water helps prevent cavities, it might be time to reconsider the risk-benefit analysis of fluoride in drinking water... 

Is Fluoridated Drinking Water Safe?

As it turns out, long-term exposure to fluoride has been linked to several health issues. 

Let’s take a closer look at the potential health risks of fluoridated drinking water:

1. Dental fluorosis: High concentrations of fluoride can cause tiny white streaks to appear on the tooth enamel of children.
2. Skeletal fluorosis: Over many years, excess fluoride exposure can cause a bone disease where the bones and joints become hardened and fragile. 
3. Neurological issues: Fluoride is a neurotoxin that may damage cognitive function in children. In a 2017 report, researchers found that exposure to fluoride in the womb can lead to poor cognitive development later in life. 
4. Thyroid problems: As excess fluoride collects throughout the body, it can damage the parathyroid gland and cause hormone imbalances.

Why is fluoride so problematic? According to one review:

“Due to its insatiable appetite for calcium, fluorine and fluorides likely represent a form of chemistry that is incompatible with biological tissues and organ system functions.”

Luckily, fluoride is easy to remove with the right filtration device...

How to Remove Fluoride from Your Tap Water: Distillation vs Reverse Osmosis

When it comes to removing fluoride from your tap water, distillation and reverse osmosis are your two best bets. 

Distillation for Fluoride Removal

Distillation is a process that turns water into steam, then condenses it back into water in a separate container. 

Viola! 

Fluoride and other contaminants are left behind and you’ve got nothing but clean drinking water. 

However, the downside is that healthy minerals are also removed, which is why most experts don’t recommend drinking distilled water for long periods of time. 

Reverse Osmosis for Fluoride Removal

For long-term daily use, the best method for fluoride removal is reverse osmosis (RO). 

In addition, RO systems combine several filtration methods to remove up to 99.9% of harmful contaminants, including fluoride.

The RO membrane works by forcing pressurized water through a membrane with very fine pores. Furthermore, pollutants are blocked from passing to the other side, and fluoride-free drinking water flows through.

Here’s how the entire RO system works:

• #1: Sediment pre-filter traps dirt, debris, decomposing vegetation, rust, calcium carbonate, and other large particles. 
• #2: Activated carbon (charcoal) filter traps organic chemicals like chlorine while improving the taste and smell of your water. 
• #3: Ion exchange resins soften the water by removing “hard” minerals.
• #4: Reverse osmosis membrane removes dangerous, difficult-to-remove contaminants like fluoride, arsenic, lead, and radionuclides. 
• #5: Polishing carbon filter catches any last pollutants that may have snuck through.
• #6: The remineralization stage adds healthy amounts of essential minerals, like calcium and magnesium, back into the water. 

NOTE: Not all RO systems include this important final step, and remineralization is essential to long-term health and nutrition.

Cloud Water Filters remineralize your drinking water with healthy electrolytes and remove 99.9% of fluoride and other harmful contaminants. They also sync to an app on your phone so that you can monitor your water quality 24/7. 

Click here to learn more.