Protect Your Health and that of Your Family From Fluoridated Water

 

Where mandatory water fluoridation is imposed, concerned citizens may largely protect themselves from it by following these guidelines.

 

Avoiding Fluoride added to Drinking Water

Here are ways of removing fluoride from your tap water, or avoiding it altogether.

 

Reverse Osmosis Filtration

The common carbon, jug or Brita filters than many people have, will not remove fluoride.

If you are concerned about removing most of the dissolved solids, including fluoride, from your water supply, then reverse osmosis (RO) is the most satisfactory method for most people. RO will extract about 93% of fluoride if the membrane’s condition and water pressure are optimal. Effective RO filtration systems cost $300 hundred dollars and up and are normally coupled with at least a sediment filter and a carbon filter as well as a RO membrane filter. There are different intervals for the changing of the 3 filters.

Toxic heavy metals like lead, mercury and cadmium are also mostly removed, as is aluminium, which is derived from the main water treatment process. Note that this filtration still leaves a small residue of these elements in your drinking water. For purists, special pre-filters (activated alumina) and post-filters (granular activated carbon, calcite or ion exchange resins) can be fitted to the RO unit to reduce the concentration of remaining contaminants so that the end product is virtually pure water.However, the latter is really not necessary unless you need exceptionally pure water.

Note that a negative aspect of RO filtration is the waste, in that approximately 2 litres of water are discarded for each litre of clean filtered water produced.

Depending on the way you set the RO unit up, the waste can be collected and perhaps used for cleaning or washing. Water production can be slow; for example, with 400 kpa pressure, it takes about 45 mins to produce 5 litres of water. No electricity is required for Reverse Osmosis; it works on water pressure

Units can be set up under sinks with a storage unit, so that filtered water is available on demand, and wastewater will go down the drain.

Shown below is a photo of a typical RO unit, which has been simply set up in a laundry with the filtered water going into a 5 litre polycarbonate container (suggest using a timer and placing in the tub, so no floods) and the waste collected into a bucket for putting into the washing machine. Some people prefer to make fresh and put into the fridge, others prefer to have the convenience of the undersink storage and water on demand. Counter top RO units are also available.

 

 

Reverse Osmosis Water Filter



Distillation

Absolutely pure water is made by boiling tap water and condensing the steam, leaving all impurities behind. The condensate is free of all minerals, slightly acidic and it should be remineralised and mildly alkalinized. The negative aspect is that distilled water requires a lot of heat energy to produce and water is wasted in cooling the steam condenser.

 

Water from Air Machines

A relatively new development is machines that produce water from water vapour in the air, similar to air conditioners that dehumidify air. It has been said that there is as much water in the air as in the oceans. One brand of these type of machines was recently featured on Extra on Channel 9.

Although more expensive than RO, ( $1000 and up ) and requiring electricity and needing to be placed in an area with humidity in the air, these type of water collectors may appeal to people who are very concerned at the prospect of treated sewage effluent being added to the Dam that supplies our drinking water.

 

Bottled water

Some people choose to drink bottled water almost exclusively although it is expensive for the consumer and costly to the environment, e.g. the bottles require energy to produce, many are transported long distances for sale and most are disposed of later in landfill or end up in rivers or the sea. Depending on the type of bottle used, the contents may be contaminated with toxins such as antimony, bisphenol A and plasticising chemicals leached from the containers.

Ideally, before deciding on a long-term supply of bottled water, satisfy yourself that the water comes from a reputable safe source e.g. whether real spring water, rain water or that from another safe origin.

Be aware that some companies in future may retail bottled water with added fluoride but this should be distinctly labeled and thus avoided. Also some companies have been exposed in the past as producing bottled water from municipal mains supplies; possibly filtered to remove the chlorine.

 

Rainwater tanks

With the drought and government and council rebates, there has been a resurgence in the popularity of rainwater tanks. There are plastic tanks, galvanized steel tanks and stainless steel tanks. If concerned about chemicals that may leach out of plastic, stainless steel tanks may be preferable.

RO filters, Distillers and Water from Air machines can only produce enough water for drinking and cooking. Rainwater tanks could perhaps be used for bathing in; check with your plumber if that is a possibility. Rebates may be available if only plumbed into laundry or toilet.

If tank water is used for drinking, it would be essential that the water was filtered to remove bacteria from bird or animal droppings on the roof. Boiling water is an option, but it will not remove chemicals that may be in the water from air pollution.

While it is difficult to find scientific publications precisely detailing fluoride’s absorption through skin, fluoride is a very small molecule, smaller than Nicotine or Oestrogen and years ago people with hyperthyroidism were treated by placing them in bathtubs of water with added fluoride.

 

Queenslanders For Safe Water, Air and Food Inc, do not recommend any particular brand of filter supplier, or alternative source of water. We urge that you seek advice from specialist suppliers who can be located in the Brisbane Yellow Pages L to Z pages 2839 to 2842. Several listed have websites where you can do some research before you contact any company.

 

The Iodine Connection with Fluoride

Fluorine, bromine, chlorine and iodine belong to the same chemical family, known as halogens. Fluorine and bromine are the smallest and most reactive, but are not essential elements for humans. Chlorine and iodine are essential for health although free chlorine is toxic. Chlorine is however used by the body when combined with other elements e.g. in sodium chloride. Chloride ions are used, among other things, to produce hydrochloric acid for digestion. Iodine, the largest and least reactive of these four elements, features in a range of biochemical reactions especially in relation to the thyroid gland and its hormones plus other glands and tissues.

 

Iodine is in relatively short supply and there is widespread deficiency here and in many other parts of the world where affected communities show elevated incidence of goiter (swelling of the thyroid gland). Lack of iodine impairs the function of a whole range of other bodily functions. Worse, the deficiency exposes vacant iodine receptor sites in the body to attachment by fluorine, also bromine (mainly from a chemical dough conditioner in bread; and brominated oils in some soft drinks), some other elements and perchlorate, a toxic and disruptive ion of increasing prevalence in our environment.

 

Iodine supplementation can displace both fluorine and bromine from body tissues.

 

How to Improve your Iodine Status

You should try to enlist your doctor’s help if you believe you may need to supplement with iodine. Be aware that you may get a negative or critical response from your practitioner. Many doctors have not been educated about the importance of iodine, incorrectly believing it to be toxic. This is because iodine has been pilloried for the last 50 years in a campaign originally organised by certain pharmaceutical companies, interested in promoting sales of synthetic thyroid hormones. This bias has entered mainstream medical teaching and opinion.

 

We are unable to make medical recommendations for iodine supplementation on this site. However, some people may be prepared to read further and act upon the information below.

 

Note that there is wide variation in recommendations for desired daily iodine intake. The World Health Organisation earlier set an upper limit of 150 micrograms/day for adults, based on the estimated amount necessary to prevent goiter in individuals. Some researchers (e.g. Drs Abrahams, Brownstein, and Flechas in the USA) suggest, based on treating patients with severe iodine deficiency, that a much greater maintenance dose in the vicinity of 12 milligrams/day (i.e. about 80 times the WHO recommendation) will promote whole body sufficiency of iodine, because it is an essential element used in all tissues. We offer some sites if you wish to read further:

 

For Further Reading on Iodine:

 

  1. www.iodine4health.com/ortho/ortho.htm (Comprehensive information on this site).
  2. www.newswithviews.com/Howenstine/james37.htm

 

 

Acknowledgement

 

The information above was compiled using the websites listed above plus

 

1. www.optimox.com/pics/Iodine/opt_Research_I.shtml ( a collection of research papers by G.E. Abrahams and J.D. Flechas, plus others).

 

2. Abraham, G.E. The history of iodine Part 3 – Thyroid fixation and medical iodophobia. www.curezone.com/faq/q.asp?a=13,281,2962&q=509 (starts bottom of first page).

 

3. Brownstein, D. 2008. Iodine. Why you need it, why you can’t live without it. Medical Alternatives Press, Michigan. 3rd edition, 237 pp. See www.drbrownstein.com.