How about Fluoride supplements
The dentis prescribed them for Emmet's teeth
love to hear your view on this

Which is more dangerous: the flouride in tap water or the BPA in the plastic water bottle?

Please help. I called my water company. The cust. service rep said that they "will never remove the fluoride from our water because it's so good for dental care". How do I go about petitioning the utilty company or getting on the agenda at a meeting? The rep. could not answer these questions.

hi. i heard that reverse osmosis takes the water to 6 on the pH scale, making it acidic. so, if true, this is also not so good. i was recommended nikken filtering systems. told that they extract all the chlorien and flouride.. but that could be bull aswell

Rachel- Fluoride applied to teeth is safer and more effective than fluoride that gets swallowed. If you have questions, ask your dentist to sit down with you for a moment and discuss them with you.

Shawn- Good for you for taking action! Your next step might be writing a letter or organizing a letter writing campaign, or making sure your community knows what's in their water. If the customer service rep can't answer your questions, just ask to speak with her supervisor.

Davor- I don't know anything about Nikken filtration systems, but a pH of 6 isn't that unusual for water -- I believe anywhere from 5 to 7 is fairly standard.

Gary, you may be being facetious, but that's a good question. I'd say your best bet is to drink water with a low fluoride content (either filtered or unfluoridated or, in a pinch, bottled) from a glass or a safer water bottle. Bottled water seldom comes in the kind of plastic that leaches BPA, but it's worth avoiding for a host of other reasons.

I was brought up on fluoride water in Chicago, is it the same as in Southern California, a by-product of mining? At 40, my sisters & I are having thyroid problems, mine happening about 10 years later then my siblings still in Chicago.

Cynthia, the fluoride at issue here is generally stuff they actually add to the water supply intentionally. Hard to believe, huh? Fluoride that occurs "naturally" can be too concentrated as well (although that's not a common occurrence here in the States), so the same cautions apply.

For children, fluoride applied topically to the teeth at certain points during their development is the best solution. Fluoride should not be added to tap water, and whether fluoride should be in toothpaste is questionable. Considering all the unknowns, in retrospect I would choose not to give fluoride drops to my infant. When you consider that fluoride used in fertilizer is absorbed into our food, fluoride is in our toothpaste, it's often in pre-natal vitamins, it's in some water supplies, and children receive fluoride rinses from dentists, you should ask the question, "How much is too much?" The total body burden may be too high, and may be the cause of the serious side effects mentioned. When we solve problems we should be careful not to create new problems. I don’t think science has been careful with fluoride, and why it has not been careful puzzles me. In addition to the concern about the total body burden of fluoride, we need to determine the best way of delivering fluoride. As some writers have noted, ingesting fluoride is a not a good method of delivery, and secondly, ingesting fluoride seems to cause other problems. Adding fluoride to the water supply is unfair to people who believe that fluoride has side effects. We don’t add any other medicines to our water supply. I strongly believe, even if the science of the day says fluoride in water helps children’s teeth and does not harm the rest of the population (frankly, I’ve never seen that question addressed), that the rest of the population should have a choice. Currently, there is no choice. I can’t think of another instance like this, and it makes me skeptical. We should not allow tap water fluoridation, and we should discuss with our doctors and dentists the trade-offs of ingesting pre-natal vitamins containing fluoride and having our infants ingest fluoride drops. We can choose whether to use fluoridated toothpaste, so whether to use it may be a decision, but at least we can choose. Lastly, we should look toward not using fertilizer containing fluoride, so that if we choose to, we can better protect ourselves through the food supply. Currently, one has to buy organic to buy non-fluoridated food. Doing so can be a financial burden for some. There is a lot to discuss about fluoride: how much is the right amount, how should it be delivered, for what age group is it appropriate, for what purpose is it intended, what are the side effects, and why do we have no choice about fluoridated tap water?

The report that floride in toothpaste is recommended by ewg surprised me. I have an article written by Andreas Schuld - head of Parents of Fluoride Poisoned Children (PFPC) that states that there is enough fluoride in a tube of toothpaste to kill a small child. It makes sense to me that if sodium fluoride, the DIRECT by-product of pollution scrubbers in the phosphate fertilizer and alumimium industries (and not the naturally occuring calsium fluoide)is dangerous when added to water,why is it safe to add to toothpastes!?

Anyone can find out exactly what is being used for fluoridation agents, call local utilities department, request the American Water Works Association standard for the type fluoride agent used in your water. Most often used is: AWWA Standard for Fluorosilicic Acid B703-06. The foreword gives source and process, and contaminants are an entire page!

What do you mean by too many entries. That was my first one!!! Eldon

Not all decisions to add fluoride are made by the local water utility. In South Dakota the decison is made by state government.

What is a safe fluoride level in drinking water? I'm sure that you have it somewhere, but I can't find it! Thanks!!

Anita- Thanks for the great info!

Elaine- You're right, there is a lot to discuss when it comes to fluoride. It's not a simple issue, especially because so many people believe that fluoridated water is good for dental health (which, as you know, it isn't).

Karen, you raise a good point. Studies have shown that fluoride is an effective dental health aid when applied directly to teeth. Of course, you're not supposed to swallow toothpaste. The ADA cautions caregivers to help young children to remember to spit out, rather than swallow, their toothpaste. Children's toothpaste often contains a smaller amount of fluoride as well.

Carly, this EWG report should answer your question.

Greg, that's interesting, I didn't realize. Is all of SD's water controlled by one entity?

I use a water distiller for drinking water. I was under the impression that it removes most contaminants. Am I correct in assuming it removes fluoride?

I've never understood the hysteria about fluoridation. People get cavities because the mineral matrix of the tooth breaks down and softens. Fluoride actually re-mineralizes the tooth!! How cool is that? True, it's possible to have too much fluoride and developing teeth can be made un-sightly by this state. But, once we start getting our adult teeth at the tender ages of 5-10, we're stuck with those same teeth until we die. I'm aiming for 100 years so I say up with fluoride!

Gary- Yes, distillation does remove fluoride from water. Thanks for mentioning that!

butlerea- Yeah, it is pretty awesome that fluoride can have such an effect on dental health. The thing is, though, that fluoride in water really doesn't do much -- it's when fluoride is applied directly to teeth that it prevents cavities. So fluoridating the water is expensive, as little effect, and has been linked to all these negative health effects -- maybe the gov't should subsidize fluoridated toothpaste instead!

If you want reverse osmosis filtration but don't want to invest in an expensive filter for your house, buying bottled water isn't the best solution. Many health food stores have a filtration machine where you can bring your empty water bottles in and fill them up, generally for less than 50 cents a gallon. This is cheaper than buying an expensive filter or new gallons of water; it's more reliable filtration than you receive when you buy most bottled waters; and it is environmentally friendly because you're reusing your plastic jugs and significantly reducing the amount you use.

Tara, that's a good point. EWG hasn't researched those dispensers, but I've heard that they filter unreliably. They're probably a good plan for (non-pregnant) adults looking to lower their fluoride intake, but I'm not sure that I personally would want to give it to a baby in formula. Definitely an option, though.

If fluoride is bad for you to drink, how can it be safe to use toothpaste with fluoride?
You can`t have it both ways.
Thanks
Randy

I have been advised by an acupuncturist and herbalist to avoid fluoridated water as part of my treatment for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. My hesitation with a reverse osmosis filtration system is that I've heard that it takes 4-5 gallons of water to produce one gallon of filtered water. Given drought conditions in my area, I'm concerned about this wanton use of water. What is the most environmentally-friendly way of getting unfluoridated water?

Randy- Toothpaste with fluoride works better than fluoridated water to protect teeth, and it's safe as long as you don't swallow your toothpaste. (You don't, do you Randy?) Children should be supervised and assisted when brushing, and coached to spit out their toothpaste.

Valerie- My understanding is that RO filtration just pushes water through a semi-permeable membrane, so that much water waste seems unlikely. Your best bet would be to check with a couple of different companies that market and install systems and see what they say. Let us know what you find out!

I just watched an alarming video on water fluoridation yesterday. I was looking at water filters on nontoxic.com and they have a section on fluoride.
If you are interested in more on this topic, I recommend that you check out these links:

videos on google [if you have some time, watch 'The Hidden Agenda' video - very alarming!]
fluoride action network

After looking at the above, I am very convinced that water fluoridation is a bad idea and a detriment to the health and well-being of consumers of this tainted water.

The National Health Food
Federation wrote an article
about the negative affects
of Floride. Floride is a by-product that cannot be put in
our landfills so it ends up in our drinking water, Scope, toothpaste, etc. Floride is known to disintegrate the bones in your mouth. This product is not good for anyone. Only natural floride
is acceptable.

Anyone who believes fluoride is any good ought to look into it some more. More toxic than lead, more soluble than calcium fluoride and dental fluorosis means damaged/improper mineralisation which will turn to decay eventually.