Fluoridated Water Green

Do you know that fluorine is the most reactive of all elements and no chemical substance is capable of freeing fluorine from any of its compounds. For this reason, fluorine does not occur free in nature and is extremely difficult for scientists to isolate. Yet we put it in our water and toothpaste. Because it is in our water, it also affects all our crops. The average United States resident receives over double the daily recommended amount of fluoride.

In 2008, 195.5 million people (72.4%) on public water systems had fluoridated community water, which is a substantial increase from the 2006 figure of 184 million people (69.2%).  The easiest way to know if your water contains fluoride is to check with your local water supplier, or use this interactive click map from the CDC.

The 1991 study on fluoride conducted by the US Department of Health and Human Services proved inconclusive,

Genotoxicity studies of fluoride, which are highly dependent on the methods used, often show contradictory findings. The most consistent finding is that fluoride has not been shown to be mutagenic in standard tests in bacteria (Ames Test). In some studies with different methodologies, fluoride has been reported to induce mutations and chromosome aberrations in cultured rodent and human cells. The genotoxicity of fluoride in humans and animals is unresolved despite numerous studies.

Other researchers have found more alarming results. The July-Sept. 2010 issue of the peer reviewed scientific journal Fluoride, published by the International Society for Fluoride Research Inc. (an independent non-profit organization which promotes the sharing of scientific information on all aspects of inorganic and organic fluorides) examines the book, THE CASE AGAINST FLUORIDE.

The book considers the ethical arguments against medicating without patient consent (since there is no choice if it's put into drinking water or not), evidence of ineffectiveness as well as evidence of harm, and the possibility for overdose.

For years, Our Daily Green has avoided fluoridated toothpaste as well as drank only filtered water. The distinction however, between toothpaste and water is that toothpaste is not ingested. Water is. Much to Our Daily Green's surprise, most pitcher and faucet filters do NOT remove fluoride from the water. Three technologies consistently remove fluoride from water; reverse osmosis water filters, distillation filters and cartridge filters that use a material specifically designed to remove fluoride from water.

If fluoride is a concern for your family, please do some additional research how you can petition to have it removed or remove it yourself individual or whole house filters.

For additional reading and viewing:

Fluoride: The Hidden Poison in the National Organic Standards 
Fluoride Action Network
NOASPA

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