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Posts Tagged ‘fluoride water filter’
Fluoride Water Contamination in Northern Punjab, India
Friday, February 19th, 2010By now, many of you are aware of the bodily risks that fluoride in your water presents. Fluoride toxicity harms bones, causes stiff joints, encourages skeletal abnormalities, raises the risk of cancer, results in genetic damage, can damage the thyroid, and hampers nervous system function. Given that you body does not excrete and rid itself of fluoride easily, continual exposure results in continual accumulation. Many states in the US have stopped the practice of fluoridation all together, and the question “to fluoridate or not to fluoridate” is becoming commonplace on state voting ballots.
Fluoride Contamination in Punjab
If you are not convinced of the detrimental affects of fluoride ingestion, the news video below on the Northern region of Punjab in India is a case study on it’s toxic effects. In this region, contamination occurred through natural mediums and chemical fertilizers. While this news story does not speak to the fluoride concentration levels, a little research turned up a study by the Environmental Biology Laboratory, Post Graduate Department of Zoology, S.G.N. Khalsa (PG) College, in Sri Ganganagar, India called Fluoride contamination in drinking water in rural habitations of Northern Rajasthan, India. This study provided some valuable data and recommendations.
At the time of this study’s release in 2007, fluoride was recorded in the ranges of 4.78 and 1.01 ppm (parts per million) with an average fluoride concentration of 2.82 ppm for the Rajasthan region. To put this in perspective, the Environmental Protection Agency allows up to 1 ppm of fluoride in water for fluoridation purposes. This study states “Due to the higher fluoride level in drinking water several cases of dental and skeletal fluorosis have appeared at an alarming rate”. In other words, concentrations at only 3-5 times higher that what the EPA currently allows in the US has resulted in alarming rates of dental and skeletal fluorosis with the study calling for “an instant need to take ameliorative steps in this region to prevent the population from fluorosis.”
Do We Need Fluoride in our Drinking Water?
To be clear, the news story speaks to boiling the water, however this only address the bacteria and parasites in the water. Boiling will not remove or reduce fluoride levels in water. In 2007 the ADA warned parents not to mix baby formula with tap water in the first 12 months of development so as to avoid fluoride intake. Are the risks of fluoride ingestion worth the claimed rewards? Many would argue that brushing multiple times per day, flossing, and visiting your local dentist regularly are more than sufficient in this day and age for teeth health.
For those of you who are drinking fluoridated tap water, a berkey water filter equipped with a PF-2 fluoride filter will remove the fluoride to 99.75%. If you are unsure if your city/municipal water is fluoridated, simply call you local town water authority and they will be able to provide you this information.
Fluoride in Water and Fluoride Water Filters
Thursday, December 24th, 2009Good strong teeth in a child is a priority to conscientious parents and fluoride in water is considered by many to help achieve that. Yet, in spite of the advancements in dental care, more than one fourth of 2 to 5 year olds, and half of kids 12 to 15, have one or more cavities. Further, tooth decay has affected two thirds teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19. These statistics and other disturbing facts about the dangers of fluoride in water have parents increasingly purchasing fluoride water filters.
Many agree with studies that seem to indicate that adding fluoride to public water will decrease the problem of tooth decay, while others strongly disagree. Fluoride is the 13th most common element in the earth’s crust and exists naturally in water. Some water has sufficient natural fluoride, but what if it is not naturally present? Should fluoride be added to water systems? The debate about fluoride won’t be settled here. Rather, the purpose of this article is to consider a few of these points, and to give you some options.
Supporters of Fluoride in Water
Supporters of fluoridation state, “Today, water fluoridation is estimated to reduce tooth decay by 20-40%….It is well known that fluoride helps prevent and even reverse the early stages of tooth decay.” These statements have the authority of a trained doctor. Similarly, “For over 60 years, water fluoridation has proven to be a safe and cost-effective way to reduce dental cavities.”
Those favoring use of fluoride in general claim that its presence combats tooth decay in two ways. First, it strengthens the developing teeth and second, it aids the surface of the teeth by preventing the acid produced by the bacteria in plaque from dissolving, or demineralizing tooth enamel. Fluoride also allows teeth damaged by acid to remineralize, or repair themselves. It won’t repair cavities, but it can reverse minor tooth decay and prevent new cavities from forming.
Opponents of Fluoride in Water
The evidence for fluoride as part of dental care is well supported, however the data supporting the benefits of adding fluoride in water is not as strong. Opponents state; “There is no difference in the tooth decay rates of the fluoridated and nonfluoridated water regions surveyed.” They claim that increased amount of fluoride in children can actually increase tooth decay. Too much fluoride during the teeth developing years can cause enamel fluorosis, a mottling or discoloration of the permanent teeth. To add fluoride to water, along with toothpaste and treatments can exceed the maximum level that is safe. Read the back of your toothpaste and you’ll learn that fluoride poisoning is accompanied by vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, increased salivation, or increased thirst with symptoms lasting up to 24 hours but appear within 30 minutes after ingestion. Are we slowly poisoning our bodies with continuous low levels of fluoride in our water? Wouldn’t younger children be more susceptible?
Those opposed to the added fluoride say the studies have not considered it’s long range effects. They claim it is directly linked to changes in bone structure and strength, cancer, impairs the immune system, causes birth defects and perinatal deaths, causes initial stages of skeletal fluorosis, inhibits key enzymes, causes osteoarthritis, and suppresses thyroid function. What do they say about the studies that prove that fluoride in water is good for dental hygiene? The studies had several flaws. First, they did not consider the differences between “natural fluoride” (ex: CaF) and added fluoride in water (ex: NaF). Second, these studies did not consider the other minerals in the water and these could actually be the cause of decreased instances of tooth decay. Third, adequate risk analysis was lacking with dental fluorosis as the only barometer for safety being included.
Berkey Fluoride Water Filters
Fluoride Water Filters
If your conclusion from these points is that fluoride should not be in your drinking water, what are your options? Some opt for bottled water, but this can get expensive. A better alternative is to purchase a fluoride water filter. Some expensive units do this, yet there are also more affordable systems that provide optional fluoride water filters. Berkey water filter systems, for example, have available an additional fluoride filter that can be attached below the primary black berkeys and will remove fluoride from the water. If you don’t want fluoride, you don’t have to drink it.
