Fluoride officially classified as a neurotoxin by medical journal Lancet 2006. Is this good or bad news?
In Australia, it's common place for local councils to add fluoride to our drinking water supply. Did you know it's considered a neurotoxin? Unless you buy bottled water, which is expensive & bad for the environment, the only option you have is to filter the fluoride out of your water.
Why do I want to remove fluoride from my drinking water?
Leading medical journal, The Lancet, have now classified fluoride as a neurotoxin. In Volume 13 Issue 3 of the journal, they mention that industrial chemicals are known causes for injuring the developing brain along with an increasing frequency in the diagnosis of many neurological disabilities including ADHD, dyslexia and autism.
In 2006 they identified five industrial chemicals as developmental neurotoxicants, and since then, have identified six additional chemicals. Fluoride is one of them. It's now in the same company of lead, methylmercury and arsenic. You can read the summary HERE.
Harvard School of Public Health joined forces with China Medical University and found strong indications that fluoride may adversely affect the cognitive development in children. These are risks the two universities felt should not be ignored and recommended that further development on the use of fluoride and brain development was warranted. Read the article on the Harvard website HERE.
Website FluorideAlert.org also report the findings of the Lancet journal and reference the Harvard / China study HERE.
How can I filter the fluoride out of my drinking water?
So, do you still want to drink water with fluoride in it? That's a choice you need to make yourself, but if you don't, we have fluoride water filters available that will filter out fluoride and chlorine and also add back vital minerals to the drinking water.
Our top pick foraffordabilit, space and performance for the best fluoride water filter is to choose the water filter jugs from Waters Co. If you can afford it and you have the space, of course, upgrade to a benchtop filter instead.
A MORE BUDGET FRIENDLY OPTION
For a more budget friendly model, the Eco Bud Gentoo water filter jug retails at a much lower price point and has a 3 month filter with it. Read our ECO BUD VS BRITA COMPARISON REVIEW to find out just how much cheaper it is to run an Eco Bud jug, which means you save money AND filter the fluoride out of your drinking water.
It is interesting to note that Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, The Netherlands, Hungary & Israel have all banned the addition of fluoride to their drinking water. Some council areas in Australia have stopped doing it, but it's not wide spread in Australia yet. Japan have stated that while the body needs calcium fluoride, it does not need the industrial by-product, sodium fluoride that is used in water supplies and regulate accordingly.
Fluoride in your toothpaste and the alternatives
According to teeth.org.au, the official website of the Australian Dental Association, there are 3 different types of fluoride that you might find in toothpaste. Sodium Monofluorophosphate, Sodium Fluoride and Stannous Fluoride. When it's in childrens toothpaste it's usually at a concentration of 500 parts per million. When natural toothpaste brands have low fluoride options, it's usually less than that.
Hydroxyapatite is the main mineral component of tooth enamel. There's a trend for natural toothpaste that leave fluoride out of their formulas to add this ingredient to create a hydroxyapatite toothpaste instead a fluoride toothpaste. The Australian Dental Association recognise that more research is required to know how effective it is in the long run as a suitable alternative to fluoride in toothpaste.
If you decide that fluoride is a neurotoxin and you want to avoid it, there are alternatives on the market.
