How To Remove Fluoride From Water

Public water supplies across the United States have been fortified with fluoride for over 70 years. Scientists discovered people who lived in areas where fluoride was naturally much more relevant in the water as they had much fewer cavities.

Still today, the American Dental Association (ADA) has advocated fluoride in water as it can reduce tooth decay in children and adults in almost 25% of cases.

In this article, we will be discussing more fluoride and how to remove fluoride from your water.

Fluoride In Your Drinking Water

Adding fluoride to drinking water started when one supplier did it in small areas during the 1940s. Now, around 67% of all homes in America receive fluoride-containing water.

The level of fluoride in your water should never be higher than 0.7 mg/L to reduce any risks of causing fluorosis in children. However, some people have started to wonder whether having fluoride in drinking public water is good. New research shows various worrying side effects of having fluoride in the water. 

Effects Of Having Fluoride In Your Water

New research shows the effects of fluoride in your drinking water, and not all of them are good. Fluoride has stayed in public water for so long because it helped reduce cavities in those who drank it. However, research has shown some new side effects, and maybe we should discontinue having fluoride in our water.

The following are a few reasons we may want to consider not having fluoride in our water.

• Once fluoride is in the water supply, there isn’t a way to control the concentration and dose of the fluoride. Therefore, there is no way to regulate how much someone should be having due to their weight, age, health, etc.
• In high doses, fluoride has some toxic properties. 
• Most children are receiving and ingesting much more fluoride than their suggested daily intake. 
• A study suggests that fluoride could link to underactive thyroid or hypothyroidism.

How To Remove Fluoride From Your Water?

Reverse Osmosis

The best method to remove fluoride from water is using a reverse osmosis filtration system. Using this filtration system allows you to remove around 95.2% of the fluoride in your water. 

The reverse osmosis filtration system will use the water pressure in your home to push the tap water through the filtration cycle. Your tap water will go through a semipermeable membrane and additional filters.

These filters help to remove many contaminants, including fluoride. 

Other contaminants that you can reverse using this filtration system include:

• Lead,
• Chlorine,
• Cadmium,
• Sulfates,
• Detergents,
• Asbestos.

Distillation 

Distillation is a very effective and affordable fluoride removal method. As it heats the water, the steam will evaporate and head into another container.

With this method, all impurities such as fluoride will be removed and left behind. The vapors collected then transform back into distilled water as it cools down.

Activated Alumina

Activated alumina is a solid and porous form of aluminum oxide. The activated alumina will absorb contaminants like fluoride out of the water. However, alumina filters will only work with water that has a pH of 8.5 or below. 

When it comes to removing fluoride, the pH of the water should be either 5 or 6. Then as the water goes through the filter, the impurities are absorbed, and pure water is left behind to drink and use. 

Bone Char Carbon

Using bone char carbon is one of the oldest methods, and it can remove fluoride-contained water. Bone char carbon is in water filter cartridges, which will remove around 90% of any mineral content in the water. 

However, this method is unsuitable for vegans, as bone char is made from animal bones heated to very high temperatures. 

Ineffective Methods Of Removing Fluoride 

Some methods that people believe will remove fluoride are very ineffective. A lot of people know that when you boil water, it will remove organisms such as bacteria. Therefore, people may assume that if you just boil tap water, it will remove fluoride that is present.

Yet when you boil water, you increase the fluoride concentration because as the water gets hotter, vapors leave, and the mineral is left behind.

Some home filters that attach to a pitcher or your faucet don’t remove all the fluoride. In this case, these filters remove visible contaminants and will improve the flavor of the water, but fluoride is still present. 

A lot of people avoid tap water altogether and will buy bottled water. However, bottled water isn’t an environmentally friendly solution. Therefore, we wouldn’t recommend this option as a long-term solution.

Final Thoughts

For a long time, fluoride was seen as a great thing, as it helps reduce cavities in adults and children. Yet more research has shown that fluoride in our water negatively impacts our health. As a result, more people are now trying to remove fluoride from their water.

We have given you ways to remove fluoride from your drinking water. In addition, you should now understand the effect fluoride has on our bodies.