When buying a new home, water quality is the last thing many prospecting buyers think about. But it’s an important aspect to look at, and there is a high probability that fluoride will be present in the water source. Fluoride in drinking water has been an issue for many households for some time now. People value water quality and wish access to the best quality they can.
What is fluoride, and why it’s added to drinking water?
Fluoride is not an unknown substance to the average person; we hear about it in most toothpaste commercials. It’s that component in toothpaste that treats and diminishes tooth decay. This raises the question, why is fluoride added to drinking water if it is already added to toothpaste?
Many studies show that fluoride is efficient at dealing with tooth decay, and added to water makes it all that much more efficient. This is especially true for children who don’t brush their teeth properly. The problem many people have with fluoride is the lack of control over how much fluoride they get exposed to.
Is fluoride in water dangerous?
Fluoride isn’t a highly dangerous substance, and it won’t pose any major health risks to the body. The most common negative it can have is in developing dental fluorosis, which is more of an aesthetic effect than a health one. Other situations equated fluoride with skeletal fluorosis, which could be a harder issue to care for.
Nevertheless, the desire to be less exposed to fluoride in drinking water is understandable. Most people claim that fluoride in water can be highly inefficient at treating cavities since it doesn’t stay all that much in the mouth and around teeth and that toothpaste is a better solution. This is why many households seek to remove fluoride from drinking water.
How to remove fluoride from drinking water?
When you are looking to buy a home, fluoride will come with the package. This means that for any home you choose if it’s connected to the city water source, you will have to deal with fluoride. There are fluoride solutions, although none can take fluoride 100% out of water.
Typically boiling water is the most touted method to treat many water quality issues, but sadly, you cannot boil fluoride out of water. Instead, several water filtering devices can be used to reduce the amount of fluoride.
Water filter pitcher
An easy-to-use and practical water filter, the pitcher usually uses an activated charcoal filtering medium to take out chlorine, heavy metals, limescale, and even a good amount of fluoride. This solution won’t guarantee that all the fluoride content is removed, but it does limit it greatly.
Inline carbon block filter
Mounted directly on the pipe, an inline water filter works great at filtering drinking water, even for cooking. A charcoal block, much like the carbon granules from a filtering pitcher, filters out most fluoride and provides clean water.
A filter like this could be a higher investment than a pitcher, and when it comes to a new home, it’s an expense to take into account. But it’s still one of the more affordable filters, especially for taking fluoride out.
Reverse osmosis filters
Easily the most desired water filter, a reverse osmosis system can care for any water quality issue. Fluoride is one element it easily deals with, along with lead, chlorine, and pesticides. A reverse osmosis system is an epitome of filtering devices with its storage tank and highly effective water filtration.
It can be a pricier water filtering device that may require a larger investment from a potential buyer of a new home, and the RO system might not be for everyone’s budget. But as far as quality goes, it doesn’t get higher than an RO system.
Conclusion
It’s not a walk in the park to take on buying a home and worrying about water quality issues. Solutions are available for a wide range of problems. Fluoride in drinking water is one of the easiest problems to take care of, and it can be as easy as investing in a water filter pitcher.
Small and convenient, they can do the job well, but nothing tops the powerful reverse osmosis system. Whatever you may choose, it’s noteworthy that fluoride isn’t as dangerous a component as it’s touted, but there are valid reasons for wanting to opt out of it.
Comments are closed.