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Methods to Remove Fluoride from Drinking Water
Fluoride is extremely toxic and difficult to remove from drinking water.
Carbon filters do not remove fluoride.
Here are 5 methods to remove fluoride from drinking water, with our recommendations.
1. Activated Alumina
- Used in some water filter cartridges to adsorb fluoride and arsenic from drinking water.
- Water with low pH is necessary for activated alumina to be effective. pH 5 – 6 is optimal.
- Extremely slow flow rates are required for sufficient contact time.
- Frequent cartridge changes are required because effective reduction of fluoride from drinking water with activated alumina is short-lived. Effectiveness drops off sharply and quickly with use.
- Most people using filters with activated alumina are unwittingly using them far beyond the failure point for fluoride reduction.
- The frequency of filter replacement (or the volume of activated alumina) that would be required to maintain desirable levels of fluoride reduction make this method cost prohibitive and impractical.
- Activated alumina is a synthetically produced form of aluminum oxide.
NOT RECOMMENDED
2. Bone Char
- Used in some water filter cartridges to adsorb fluoride and arsenic from drinking water.
- Requires lots of contact time, slow flow rates, and frequent cartridge changes.
- As with activated alumina, effective reduction of fluoride from drinking water with bone char is short-lived; effectiveness drops off sharply and quickly with use.
- The frequency of filter replacement (or the volume of bone char) that would be required to maintain desirable levels of fluoride reduction make this method cost prohibitive and impractical.
- The source of this material is objectionable for many people.
- Bone Char is made from incinerated and pulverized animal bones.
NOT RECOMMENDED
3. Reverse Osmosis
- Effective and sustained method for thorough removal of fluoride, and most other waterborne contaminants, found in tap water.
- This method wastes water and removes all mineral content from water. However, these losses are the trade-off for fluoride-free water when using this method. The RO water can be re-mineralized. Newer reverse osmosis systems are becoming increasingly more efficient at minimizing water waste and usually come with a built-in option to re-mineralize.
- Reverse osmosis is the most thorough form of filtration because it removes ions and molecules from water by pushing water though a very fine or selective membrane. Water pressure or an internal pump is required to accomplish this.
RECOMMENDED
See Reverse Osmosis options here.
4. Water Distillation
- Highly effective method for the thorough removal of fluoride (and most other contaminants) from drinking water.
- Water distillers do not waste water, but they do remove all mineral content from water. The finished water is fluoride-free and can be remineralized.
- Water distillation is especially worth considering in hard water areas, and where tap water is burdened with heavy metals and algae or bacterial growth that will quickly foul filters and membranes.
- Water distillers boil water and then condense it back to liquid form in such a way that only pure water (and any gases that volatilize at a higher temperature than water) enter the final water collection chamber.
- Water distillation requires power and takes several hours to produce a gallon of purified water.
RECOMMENDED
See Water Distiller options here.
5. The best method for fluoride removal
- The best method of fluoride removal is to stop using it.
- This requires individual and group initiatives to create an informed, self-governing community.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
For more information about the toxicity of Fluoride, Fluoride FAQs, and which Canadian cities do and do not fluoridate drinking water see:
