The Case Against Public Drinking Water Being Fluorized

We all want to feel like we’re going to be safe if we’re going to be drinking public water. The main reason why so many people have gotten away from public water consumption is because they believe it’s unsafe. First we have to worry about the bad things in the water being filtered out properly during the cleaning process. Then we have to worry about the chemicals used in order to clean the water and how it’s going to affect our system.

We also have to worry about the pipes the water comes through before it even gets to our glass or comes out of the bubbler. With all of this being the case, how do you drink public water and feel good about it? Well what we would have to focus on is the chemicals used to clean our water more than anything else. Other problems such as our pipes are all things we can exercise some degree of control over.

We cannot exercise much control over what’s put in tap water in order to make it clean though such as fluoride. Now what’s the first thing you think of when you hear fluoride? You probably think of what you see on the front of toothpaste tubes right? At first, it might seem like water being cleaned with fluoride wouldn’t be much of a problem. If we brush our teeth with toothpaste that as fluoride in it, then having it in our water can’t hurt us right? Well, this isn’t entirely true.

The first case we want to make against fluoride being used to clean water is that it doesn’t have the same effect as topical fluoride does. You use toothpaste in order to clean your mouth. There’s no evidence that consuming large amount of fluoride (which is what would happen over time) isn’t going to be harmful to us.
When we say that there’s no evidence that consuming fluoride in water isn’t bad, this isn’t the case entirely. Studies have been done but more extensive research would be needed. Water usually has low concentrations of the chemicals in it, but people that consume public drinking water on a regular basis will have a lot of exposure over time. This can have negative effects that can be seen right now.

There’s another negative to have fluoride in public water. People who know what they are drinking really can’t do much about it. Controlling the dosage isn’t easy to do. Some people consume more public drinking water than others.

If we have to give our main reason for why fluoride shouldn’t be used in the treatment of water it would be because it forces people to consume something they don’t want to consume. Sure, people who have the money can find other ways to get the water they need, but what about those who can’t? Drinking fluoride over time is going to put them at risk for any number of health problems. And what makes it worse is even still they wouldn’t have other options.

Fluoride in public water should be stopped altogether and some healthier alternative used. Would this make the treatment process more expensive? Sure it would. But think about the long term benefit to society by not having their health negatively affected down the road.