Ever since the 1940s, people from all over have argued about the benefits of adding fluoride to municipal drinking supplies. Proponents debate that studies show supplemental fluoride can help lower the chances of developing cavities and helps improve dental health. Opponents say that the substance is actually harmful to someone’s overall health and they can call for an end to water fluoridation.
What is Community Water Fluoridation?
Fluoridated water is simply the adjustment of naturally occurring fluoride in community water supplies to an optimal level to aid in the prevention of tooth decay. Simply put, fortifying water with fluoride is similar to fortifying milk with vitamin D, table salt with iodine, and bread and cereals with folic acid.
Although trace amounts of fluoride are allowable for the body, too much of it can lead to damaging effects to your overall health. That’s why more and more people are starting to oppose the idea of adding fluoride to water supplies.
Reasons to Oppose Fluoride in Water Supplies
Here are some of the reasons why communities should stand against the idea of adding fluoride to water supplies in municipalities:
Fluoridation is a Violation of the Individual’s Rights to Informed Consent to Medication
Within a community water supply, fluoride is being added to the water of everyone, even if some people don’t want it and still others don’t even know about fluoride being added to their water in the first place. Informed consumer consent is needed when it comes to fluoridating the water supply, especially due to the alarming lack of safety for this chemical, along with its health risks.
Fluoride is Not an Essential Nutrient
In the first place, fluoride is not a required component for human growth and development. As a matter of fact, fluoride has been deemed as one of the 12 industrial chemicals that are known to cause developmental neurotoxicity in human beings. Thus, researchers have repeatedly challenged the alleged safety and effectiveness of fluoride.
People are Exposed to Multiple Fluoride Sources
Since 1940, an array of products that contain fluoride have been introduced to the average consumer including dental products, pesticides, supplements, other prescription drugs, and many other different sources. There’s no current accurate estimate of just how much fluoride people have already taken in from all these sources.
However, dental fluorosis is recognized as the first visible sign of fluoride toxicity. It’s likewise a warning signal of the human health risks linked to the exposure to fluoride.
How Can You Remove Fluoride from Drinking Water?
If you decide that you need to do something to lower your fluoride intake, then there are a couple of things you can do. Some of the more obvious ones include rejecting fluoride treatments as well as taking a closer look at the supplements you’re ingesting to see if they contain fluoride.
Removing fluoride from your drinking water supply poses a bit more of a challenge, but it’s possible. Indeed, fluoride is one of the most challenging minerals to filter out of water.
