Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Fluoride in Drinking Water
Many people question whether fluoride in drinking water is justified, and there is compelling evidence supporting its removal. In 2015, for the first time in 53 years, the U.S. Public Health Service lowered the recommended fluoride level in drinking water from the range of 0.7–1.2 mg/L to a flat 0.7 mg/L (or 0.7 parts per million — also known as ppm).
Why is fluoride added to water?
Fluoride occurs naturally in most water sources. It comes from the erosion of rocks into groundwater before that water reaches public reservoirs. Without fluoride supplementation, however, the amount of fluoride in a water supply varies from place to place, depending on the path the water takes to reach you.
In 1945, Grand Rapids, Michigan, became the first city in the world to add fluoride to its drinking water in the hope of preventing tooth decay. After 11 years of the practice, they observed a 60% reduction in dental cavities. Following the city's success, the practice spread across the country and to parts of the world.
During the 1960s, the dental health benefits of this cavity intervention were widely publicized and celebrated by many American public health agencies. Today, support for water fluoridation has extended beyond U.S. agencies, gaining endorsement from the World Health Organization (WHO).
Nevertheless, even countries and communities that did not fluoridate their water observed a similar decline in tooth decay.
Where does fluoride in our water come from?
Fluoride is a mineral found in rocks and soil. Almost all natural water sources contain some amount of fluoride, but many sources contain less than what is currently recommended for optimal dental health benefits. This is why many cities add fluoride up to the recommended level of 0.7 mg/L.
Is there fluoride in well water?
Yes. Fluoride is found in well water. Because water drawn from private wells does not pass through a treatment plant where fluoride levels can be adjusted, the amount in a private well will vary depending on the surrounding environment. You should periodically test your water for contaminants, including fluoride. This is especially important if you have children.
Is there fluoride in spring water?
Yes. Fluoride is found in spring water. Similar to well water, the amount of fluoride in spring water depends on the environment around the spring. The quantity typically found in spring water is usually much lower than what is added to public water supplies for dental health purposes.
Does bottled water contain fluoride?
Typically, bottled water will contain a small amount of fluoride, derived from wherever the company sources its water. You can call the number on the label to find out how much fluoride is in the water. Some bottled water companies sell fluoride-free water, while others add fluoride to their product.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), bottled water companies may add enough fluoride to bring the total fluoride content up to the tap water standard of 0.7 mg/L. Any added fluoride must be declared on the water bottle label.
Should water be fluoridated?
The sources of fluoride in our lives are numerous, and expert opinions are divided. We have dental products such as fluoride toothpaste and fluoride mouthwash. With all these options for protecting our dental health, there is ongoing debate about whether we should also consume fluoride-fortified water.
What are the downsides of fluoride in drinking water?
Fluoride can cause acute illness and is even considered lethal at a sufficiently high dose. There are many cases of accidental fluoride poisoning. Most of these cases stem from ingestion of dental products or fluoride-based pesticides. In many parts of the world that rely on underground wells as a primary source of fresh water, disease from fluoride toxicity is a real concern.
What are the side effects of fluoride?
While proponents of fluoride in water argue that low fluoride concentrations — such as the currently accepted optimal level of 0.7 milligrams per litre — are unlikely to produce adverse health effects, fluoride is a known neurotoxin.
Some research suggests that even these low levels may be too high for healthy brain development and may directly harm the brain. Let us look at these and other side effects of fluoride toxicity.
The brain and nervous system
There are many studies linking various levels of fluoride intake to impaired brain development in children. When Harvard researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 27 previous studies on Chinese children, the data appeared to show that children in areas with higher concentrations of fluoride in the water had lower IQ scores than those living in areas with less fluoride.
A 2019 updated review of the developmental neurotoxicity of fluoride by the Harvard team concluded: “Neurotoxicity appeared to be dose-dependent, and provisional dose calculations suggest that a safe level of exposure is likely below currently accepted or recommended fluoride concentrations in drinking water.”
Dental fluorosis
Primarily a cosmetic condition that causes pitting, brown discolouration, and white spots on tooth enamel. This occurs when a child whose teeth are still developing ingests too much fluoride. Feeding your child infant formula reconstituted with fluoridated water can cause mild fluorosis, and breastfeeding or using fluoride-free water is recommended to avoid this.
Skeletal fluorosis
This is a crippling bone disease that occurs in people who chronically over-consume fluoride. Fluoride can accumulate in bones and cause abnormal growth of bone tissue. Millions of people around the world are currently dealing with bone deformities and debilitating pain from skeletal fluorosis.
Health authorities previously believed you needed to consume 20–80 mg of fluoride per day over decades before skeletal fluorosis would develop. We now know it is far less. As little as 6 mg per day is enough to begin experiencing early-stage symptoms. In the most severe cases, skeletal fluorosis is often misdiagnosed for years.
Kidney disease
Although it is well established that those with impaired kidney function are more susceptible to the effects of fluoride toxicity, animal studies suggest the possibility that fluoride may potentially lead to kidney disease.
How to reduce fluoride in water
A great deal of research has been conducted on the pros and cons of fluoridated water, and much more remains to be done. While you may have no control over your local water policies or the water source your city uses, you can prevent fluoride-containing water from flowing through your tap by installing a reverse osmosis-based system.
Do water filters remove fluoride?
There are many types of water filtration systems, but only a reverse osmosis-based system with 5 or 6 filters will have the power to filter out fluoride.
If you want top-tier water filtration, check out our 6-stage reverse osmosis water filtration system called SPAR MINERAL. This advanced filtration system removes fluoride, limescale, and heavy metals.
Why is fluoride so difficult to remove from water?
With the SPAR Mineral system you get the best filtration, reducing more contaminants — including all the chemicals you hear about in the news: fluoride, perchlorate, heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and chromium, nitrates, and other harmful drinking-water contaminants.
This new, lightweight filtration system delivers clean, healthy, fluoride-free drinking water without stripping the water of its beneficial minerals. Traditional reverse osmosis systems remove natural trace minerals. The SPAR Mineral reverse osmosis system with remineralizer removes 96% of fluoride, as well as 71 additional contaminants, including chlorine and chloramines (chlorine + ammonia disinfectant), arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, herbicides, pesticides, and asbestos.
The challenge is that removing fluoride from water is not easy, which is why we had to develop a system that preserves all the beneficial components while eliminating the harmful ones.
Fluoride is a hot-button topic for people. Many studies show that fluoride is harmful, and we were flooded with requests from customers who wanted an effective removal solution.
The challenge is that removing fluoride from water is not easy. Our system removes dissolved solids smaller than 1 micron.
For more information, orders and questions, speak with our specialists: 076 676 819 and 070 755 190