There are some people who will say that any fluoride in your water is bad, but according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there are safe levels. Fluoride is present in almost all drinking water in some amount, whether that is naturally occurring in well water, or if a municipal water company is fluoridating the water.
Fluoride in the water has been proven to help prevent tooth decay in children. If you don’t have fluoride in your water, make sure that your child uses toothpaste with fluoride and takes vitamins with fluoride as recommended by your dentist. Doing so will prevent cavities and expensive dental bills.
How Do I Know How Much Fluoride is in My Water?
If you get your water from a municipality, they are required to publish yearly reports analyzing what is in the water. You can also call your water company directly to ask for this information. According to the CDC, in our area of Mohave County, most water companies DO NOT add fluoride to the water. If you get your water from a well, you can get it tested at a laboratory.
Once you know how much fluoride is in your drinking water, you can determine if you are happy with that level.
What Is the Recommended Level of Fluoride in Drinking Water?
It’s possible that some community drinking water supplies and home wells can contain levels of naturally occurring fluoride that is greater than the level recommended by the US Public Health Service for preventing tooth decay. The. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set a recommended guideline for fluoride of 2.0 mg/L. That is merely a guideline and is not a regulation that can be enforced. That level is set to protect children from dental fluorosis. Dental fluorosis is non-harmful medically speaking, but it can change the appearance of your child’s teeth and cause discoloration. If your drinking water has fluoride levels that exceed this guideline, the EPA recommends that you provide children 8 years with an alternative source of drinking water such as bottled water.
What to Do if the Fluoride Level Is Exceptionally High
If a laboratory report indicates that you have a high fluoride content of 4 mg/L or higher, the CDC recommends that you have the water retested. You should collect at least four water samples over the course of four weeks (one sample each week), and compare the results. If one sample is more than 4 mg/L and the other samples are less than 4 mg/L, then the high fluoride content sample reading may have been an error. If the results for all your water samples show fluoride levels greater than 4 mg/L, you may want to consider an alternate water source for drinking water and cooking. Another solution is installing a water treatment system to remove the fluoride from your home water source. According to the CDC, physical contact with water with high fluoride content, such as through showering or washing dishes, is safe since fluoride does not pass through the skin.
Water Treatment Systems to Remove Fluoride
If your well water has an excessive amount of fluoride, a local plumber can install a reverse osmosis (RO) system. This RO device typically installs under your kitchen sink to provide a filtering system for your tap water. In a nutshell, a reverse osmosis system uses water pressure to send your tap water through a permeable membrane, and a series of filters to provide you with safe drinking water.
You can also get a whole house reverse osmosis system that filters water for every tap, or a UV water filtration system. These systems not only filter out fluoride but can also filter out a number of other contaminants, including:
- Arsenic
- Asbestos
- Cadmium
- Calcium
- Chloramines
- Cyanide.
- Lead
- Mercury
- Sodium
- And more
Complete water testing and the assistance of a reputable plumber can help you decide what water treatment system is best for your home or business. You may want to do your own research and get more than one estimate before deciding. Make sure you know exactly what the system will cost to install and maintain.
Call Plumbing By Jake for Water Treatment Systems and Plumbing Repair
Call 928-377-5910 for an emergency plumber 24/7, or during regular business hours if it’s not an emergency. You can use our contact form to schedule plumbing repair or installation of a water treatment system for your home or business. At Plumbing By Jake, we back every repair or installation with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. We serve Kingman, Bullhead City, Golden Valley, Lake Havasu, and all of Mohave County, Arizona.