What About Fluoride in Your Water?

For about 70 years, municipalities have been adding fluoride to our water. The original goal was to slow tooth decay, but from the moment fluoridation started, the debate about the pros and cons has been fermenting, and the debate (more recently) has been the focus of an ongoing lawsuit. From The Epoch Times, here is the history of the case:

The lawsuit began after the EPA rejected a petition filed in November 2016 that called on the agency to “protect the public and susceptible subpopulations from the neurotoxic risks of fluoride by banning the addition of fluoridation chemicals to water.”

… The EPA made several attempts to have the case dismissed, each of which was denied by the court. After each side made its closing remarks in the two-week trial in 2020, the court made a surprise decision to delay judgment.

… Rather than issue a judgment, in August 2020, the court paused all proceedings and instructed the plaintiffs to file a new petition with the EPA including the new scientific studies.

If you’re into details, you can read the 2017 lawsuit complaint that started the most recent court action: https://fluoridealert.org/wp-content/uploads/lawsuit.complaint.4-18-17.pdf

The above-mentioned lawsuit embodies a renewed/growing concern of how fluoride affects the body. Another example, quoting from a Harvard Public Health article: “Fluoride itself may be dangerous at high levels. Excessive fluoride causes fluorosis—changes in tooth enamel that range from barely noticeable white spots to staining and pitting. Fluoride can also become concentrated in bone—stimulating bone cell growth, altering the tissue’s structure, and weakening the skeleton.

“Perhaps most worrisome is preliminary research in laboratory animals suggesting that high levels of fluoride may be toxic to brain and nerve cells. And human epidemiological studies have identified possible links to learning, memory, and cognition deficits, though most of these studies have focused on populations with fluoride exposures higher than those typically provided by U.S. water supplies.” However, my thoughts are if you are drinking fluorinated water over your lifetime, how much are you actually getting?

The history of why we have fluoride is long and fascinating; instead of taking the time to go over more of the history here, I’d suggest this article, Debating Water Fluoridation Before Dr. Strangelove, by Catherine Carstairs, PhD.

It is More than Just Fluoride. Time to Filter Your Water

Because researchers are seeing a link between fluoride intake and effects on the body, like lower IQ in children, it is best to filter your water and remove the added chemical. Plus, when you filter, you’re also removing …

1) Arsenic. Yes, you read that correctly. In its multi-part series, The Epoch Times explains in the article Arsenic: A Known Contaminant in Fluoride Added to the US Water Supply that the argument from some experts is that the arsenic is diluted and therefore it is “not really a concern” — but I think all of us would prefer not to drink arsenic — and the correct filters can remove that chemical.

2) Bacteria, Viruses, and More. Cities around the country often post boil water advisories after heavy rainfall or a malfunction in the water system. Just in 2020, the city of Hood River warned the public to boil water after a “loss of water pressure in the distribution system on Sunday … potentially harmful bacteria could be present in the water supply … .” I’ve seen such advisories all around Oregon, and when you have a high-grade water filter running, those known and unknown bacterial intruders are less of a concern. There’s also the possibility of lead, parasites, pharmaceutical drugs, and other chemicals in our water, which you do not need to ingest, and they can be removed by a high-quality filter system. Also, your food, including your coffee, will taste better when it doesn’t have those notes of chlorine coming through.

What Filter?

If all you can get is a pitcher filter, that’s better than nothing. If you really want to get everything out of your water, consider a system like the AquaTru or another reverse osmosis system. For full disclosure, I use the AquaTru, but you need to do your own research and find what is best for you. I know others have used and liked their Multipure or Berkey systems. Ideally, you’re looking for a filter that can remove the chlorine, arsenic, fluoride, pesticides, bacteria, and so on, the reverse osmosis system seems to do this the best out of all the others!

If you are curious about your water supply, check it out here at the EWG.org site

If you have questions, give me a call or drop me an email.