How to Remove Fluoride from Water Cheaply

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A small concentration of fluoride can be beneficial to our body such as dental protection. But a large concentration can trigger severe problems like a disease called fluorosis.

Research conducted at Harvard University on the impact of fluoride on human health confirmed the negative effects of fluoridation on human health.

How to Avoid Fluoride Exposure

I  did a quick research on how to remove fluoride from water cheaply and how to reduce fluoride exposure. Here are the best options for most without having to spend a lot of money.

1. Using a Fluoride Water Filter Pitcher

For most people, fluoride exposure comes from drinking water with high amount of fluoride. Using a simple water filter pitcher which is able to  capture fluoride is a budget friendly  solution.  Water Filter Pitchers are easy to use and very convenient. 

2. Tulsi or Holy basil: Remove Fluoride From Water Naturally

The second method of eliminating fluoride from water cheaply and naturally is by using the leaves/powder of a plant called Tulsi or Holy Basil  (view organic seeds on Amazon).

Adding a few leaves of this tulsi into your water has been shown to reduce fluoride concentration.

Research conducted by Natural society found that Tulsi was found to reduced fluoride found by up to 1.1ppm (parts per million), which meets the World Health Organization standard on safe fluoride levels.

When 75mg of Tulsi plant leaves were soaked in fluoridated water and left for eight hours, it reduced the level of fluoride to below 1.1ppm.

Tulsi has the most robust anti-oxidation properties found naturally in plants.

You can get Tulsi seeds cheaply and plant them indoors. It takes 2-3 weeks for the seeds to grow. 

3. Whole House Water Filters

The third option for filtering fluoride cheaply is to use a whole house water filter. Whereas most filters don’t capture fluoride effectively, there are filters that are able to remove it 99%.

The filters that are able to filter high levels of fluoride use Activated alumina, RO, and deionizers. However, the most effective method for filtering fluoride is by using a reverse osmosis filter.

.**Read a better guide on the best whole house fluoride water filter.**

Reverse osmosis filters use a semi-permeable membrane to filter to separate the water molecules from the other moles that are dissolved in the water. 

4. Distillation

Water distillation is the earliest form of water purification. Water is heated to the boiling point. Next, the water vapor collected in a separate container known as the condenser where cooling happens. You can invest in a water distiller to make the process super easy. 

Most contaminants stay behind the first container. Distillation is one of the most effective methods used to isolate fluoride from water. Distilled water is normally fluoride-free and is the cheapest filtered water you can get. 

It’s simple and easy to distill water at home. You just need to boil the water and collect the steam in a separate container. 

5. Faucet Mount Filters

Installing a faucet mount filter is another elegant solution used by most people to remove fluoride from the tap water supply in the kitchens. A faucet filter is a great way to get healthy drinking water and save money on bottled water. They are designed to be attached to the faucet. You get healthier great tasting water without the cost.

With faucet filters that remove fluoride from water, you only need to turn on the taps and you get healthy tap water whenever you want. Faucet mounted filters are great because you can get fluoride-free water supply not only for drinking water but also for cooking in your kitchen. You don’t need to keep on charging filters for about four months.

When looking for a faucet filter, you choose one that uses Activated alumina because of its high absorption rate of fluoride. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Activated alumina is one of the effective methods of water filtration method for reducing fluoride.  

Activated alumina is a form of aluminum oxide the same material found in rubies but without the impurities. Some of the faucet filters that use activated alumina include Brita and Pur.

6. Ditch using Teflon-cooking ware

To avoid this exposure to fluoride, you should switch to stainless steel cooking pans that are safe because they don’t degenerate over time making them healthy and long-lasting.

7. Don’t swallow toothpaste

The main source of fluoride toxicity other than drinking fluoridated water comes from oral hygiene products like toothpaste and mouth wash. 

According to the American Association of Poison Control (AAPC) ingestion of toothpaste is the leading source of fluoride toxicity among children below the age of 6.

A study by Harvard University found a significantly lower IQ for kids who suffer from fluoride toxicity. 

You should do everything possible to ensure that your kids don’t swallow toothpaste because it causes them to exceed recommended daily fluoride intake 

The main ingredients in your toothpaste are fluoride because it is known to help prevent tooth decay. 

A small amount of fluoride is good for preventing tooth decay; however, taken in large quantities it results in dental fluorosis, children are especially more susceptible to dental fluorosis. 

In addition to that, when it is swallowed, it causes health problems such as low fertility, arthritis, and even cancer.

Kids like to swallow toothpaste when brushing their teeth, but as a parent, you should supervise them as they are brushing and ensure they don’t swallow the toothpaste. Better still, you can switch to non-fluoride toothpaste brands.

8. Avoid processed foods

You will agree with me when I say eating processed food causes many health issues. Because many companies use fluoride for preservation, this makes processed food to have a high level of fluoride. On the other hand, fresh foods have very low levels of fluoride in them.

9. Organically grown fruits

 In the United States, many vineyards use a pesticide containing a high fluoride concentration. Most pesticides used by farmers have high amounts of fluorides in them because fruits and vegetables usually get sprayed with these pesticides, they come contaminated with fluoride. To avoid pumping fluoride into your body eat organically grown fruits and vegetables.

10. Avoid excess tea

Both black tea and green tea contain high levels of fluoride content. Drinking of tea results in an increased intake of fluorides which in the long term has negative health consequences. Reduce your intake of tea and just drink one or two cups of tea per day.

11. Avoid Fluoridated salts

Most countries permit adding fluoride in salts because of health benefits such as the prevention of decay of teeth. However, because of new research that has conclusively shown the harmful effects of fluoride far out way the positive results, you should avoid using fluoridated salts. Ensure before you buy salt you check if the salt has fluoride in it. In the United States, the amount of fluoride that is added in salts is regulated by EPA, but it’s recommended you use non fluoridated salt. 

12. Avoid fluoride gel treatment at your dentist.

Traditionally the dentist uses fluoride to treat tooth decay. The procedure involves placing fluoride gel on the teeth. Most patients end up swallowing the fluoride.

Consequently, you should avoid fluoride treatment unless it is necessary, and even when is necessary much caution should be taken to prevent eating the gel.

Health Problems associated with fluoride Exposure

According to WHO, there are over 260 million people in the world who are affected by fluoride contamination. The most common source is drinking water which contains high levels of fluoride content And here are some of the diseases that stem from exposure to a high concentration of fluoride. 

• Dental fluorosis– High exposure to fluoride on children results in dental fluorosis. This is the discoloration of the dental enamel.
• Skeletal fluorosis– This is a bone disease that is caused by the accumulation of fluoride in the bones, it causes painful damage to the bones and joints. Because of the high concentration of fluoride, the bones become hardened and loses their elasticity.
• Rupture of stomach lining– People who have been exposed to excess fluoride suffer from rupture of the stomach lining.
• Thyroid problems– Occasionary excess exposure to fluoride can result in thyroid complications and results in unchecked production of parathyroid hormones. Parathyroid hormones regulate the amount of calcium in the body. This can trigger the depletion of calcium in the bones which weakens the bones. A low amount of calcium leads to bone fractures.
• Low IQ for children – exposure to fluoride has been shown to cause neurological problems in children. Children who are exposed to high fluoride levels test low cognitive ability and score lower in IQ tests.
• Kidney Effects: The kidney has a major role in excreting fluoride from the body. It’s normally the most affected by fluoride ingestion. Long term exposure to fluoride can trigger kidney health problems. 
• Fetal Defects: Fluoride is able to go through the placental barrier and affect the growth of Fetal tissue. In addition, the fetal brain is susceptible to fluoride toxicity.

Which Water Filter Don’t Remove Fluoride 

Carbon filters- Carbon is the best known absorbent substance in the world. And because of this man has been using carbon as a filter for a long time. Because of this, many tap filters mainly use carbon as the medium of filtration. But when it comes to fluoride, carbon is not able to remove fluoride from water.

Boiling water-Boiling is a commonly used water filtration method for removing germs from the water. Although boiling is an excellent method of eliminating some chemicals such as chlorine, boiling tap water does not remove fluoride from water.

Water softeners-Softening water does not have any effect on the levels of fluoride in the public water supply. Water softeners work by neutralizing negatively charged ions like potassium and calcium. Because fluoride is positively charged, water softeners don’t counteract with them.

How to reduce the effects of fluoride

The best way to avoid the harmful effects of toxic fluoride is to prevent fluoride from entering your body by not drinking tap water that has fluoride added to it, or by using a non-fluoride toothpaste. But there are several things you can do to detoxify your body against fluoride.

• Iodine– increase the amount of iodine in the body helps in fluoride removal from the body
• Tamarind tea– this tea that is made from tamarind. The fruit helps to detoxify the body against fluoride and other toxins. Tamarind fruit is also thought to aid in weight loss.
• Fulvic acid neutralizes fluoride inside the body.

As you know, the body is 75% water. Also, 85% of the brain is made of water. Drinking-Water is critical in our bodies because it is used to transport nutrients to all parts of the body.

To avoid ingesting fluoride through drinking water, you should drink fluoride-free water. You should contact your city water department to find out the levels of fluoride in your water supply before you install a fluoride filter.

Unlike water from rivers, spring water supply usually is fluoride-free. This is because spring water often comes from rocks found deep under the surface.

The water is not exposed to minerals that are found on the surface of the earth. However, river water is rich in minerals such as fluoride which has dissolved in the water as the river moves through rocks, and fluoride is naturally found in rocks. Most water companies package spring water which is then sold in supermarkets.

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