Do Alkaline Water Filters Remove Fluoride?
Written by: Alexandra Uta // Last Updated: May 12, 2023
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If you use an alkaline water filter at home, you may be wondering if it can remove fluoride from your water.
You’ll have all the answer after reading this article.
We’ll discuss whether alkaline water filters can eliminate fluoride, how they work, and the general benefits of alkaline drinking water.
Contents
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Key Takeaways
- Some alkaline water filters remove fluoride while others don’t.
- An alkaline water filter will only remove fluoride from water if it contains bone char or activated alumina filtering media.
Do Alkaline Water Filters Remove Fluoride?
The answer to this question isn’t exactly straightforward. Why? Because alkaline filters aren’t specifically tailored to remove fluoride. They are primarily designed to raise the pH level of water making it alkaline.
As such, an alkaline water filter can only remove fluoride if it also uses filter media that directly targets the salt. Only bone char and activated alumina can be used here.
So, alkaline water filters will only remove fluoride from water if they are using bone char or activated alumina filter media.
What Is an Alkaline Water Filter and How Does It Work?
Alkaline water filters aren’t that complicated really. They are similar to conventional water filters, except that aside from filtering it they also increase the pH of water to around 8.0-10.0.
Most alkaline water filters achieve this by releasing minerals into the water. This also often improves the water’s taste and odor. Alkaline filters can contain mineral balls or stones that release magnesium, potassium, calcium, etc.
Energy balls may also be use. They are supposed to help break down larger water molecules for easy absorption and to stabilize water pH.
The Filtration Process
Alkaline water filters can feature a variety of stages as part of their filtration process. These include sediment filters, activated carbon, and ion exchange filter media.
Moreover, an alkaline filter that can remove fluoride will use either activated alumina or bone char in one of its filter cartridges.
What Are the Benefits of Alkaline Drinking Water?
Alkaline water is believed to have many health benefits. We’ve listed some of these that give the water its great reputation:
- It has a well-rounded taste
- It helps you balance your body’s pH
- It supplies healthy minerals
- It gives you an immunity boost
- It provides for better hydration
- It causes metabolic and digestive improvements in your body
- It aids in weight loss
Further Reading:
The History of U.S. Tap Water Fluoridation
Fluoridated water has been a thing in the U.S. for decades. However, the U.S. Public Health Service officially started recommending it in 1951.
The history of water fluoridation dates back to when scientists discovered that fluorine and calcium are necessary for the healthy development of teeth and bones. They also found that consuming fluorine in water protected people’s teeth from cavities.
Dr. Frederick McKay made one of the first recorded observations around the early 1900s. On arriving in Colorado Springs for the first time, he discovered that many residents, especially children, had brown stains on their teeth.
After conducting research and discussing it with local practitioners, he found that people with this deformity were resistant to tooth decay and cavities. Further research over the years led him to the conclusion that fluorides were the cause of this deformity. This marked the discovery of fluorosis.
Consequently, another scientist, Dr. H. Trendley Dean, picked up McKay’s research because he was curious about how teeth with fluorosis didn’t suffer decay. In the process, he developed an accurate method of measuring fluoride levels in water.
Excited about his discovery, he began to ponder new possibilities. The thought of these possibilities led Dean to convince his colleagues, the City Commission in Michigan, and eventually the Michigan Department of Health of this theory. The theory was that adding fluoride to the water supply at safe levels would help prevent and reduce tooth decay.
And so, in the next year, 1945, Grand Rapids, Michigan became the first city in the world to add fluoride to its water supply. During the next 15 years, researchers monitored school children in the area. During this time, they noticed that the rate of tooth decay dropped by over 60%.
This discovery became a scientific breakthrough that transformed the future of dental care. Tooth decay or dental caries was listed among preventable diseases. Fluoridated water as the solution to tooth decay has become more and more popular and is still used to date.
If you have any thoughts about the question, do alkaline water filters remove fluoride, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below!
About the Author Alexandra Uta
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