Why I Do Not Drink Tap Water

Content by: Tania Flack

should you drink tap water

“Less than 10 countries worldwide fluoridate more than 50% of their water supplies – so why do we have it here in Australia?”

Stu: Unless you live under a rock you probably know there’s an ongoing debate on whether we should be drinking our tap water (mainly because of fluoride). From dumbing our intelligence down through our pineal gland and links to chronic disease, fluoride is under the microscope and it all feels a little X-Files. Just type in ‘fluoride side effects’ into google and you will see what I mean. What does concern me though is that most of Continental Europe does not fluoridate water. You can view the list here. So when Naturopath Tania Flack started to research the state on Sydney/Australia water and came back with this post, I was trying to figure out if I was completely shocked or actually not surprised at all! Either way, this is why I avoid drinking Australian tap water.  Over to Tania…


The state of Australian tap water

Tania: In recent weeks I have started researching fluoride in Australian drinking water after being handed a documentary that made some unbelievable claims. Could it be possible that the fluoride added to our drinking water was not as I had thought, a pharmaceutical grade drug, used to strengthen teeth against decay, but in fact a toxic industrial waste by product sourced from the organophosphate fertiliser industry? So I decided to research the facts for myself. After much time being left on hold to Sydney water, I was put through to a very helpful head technician at their water processing plant, who confirmed every detail as follows…

Hydroflurosilicic Acid

The fluoride added to our drinking water is not the naturally occurring calcium fluoride that is found in trace amounts in water from rivers and streams, it is in fact hydroflurosilicic acid. This is a toxic waste by product sourced from the the two Incitec Pivot organophosphate fertiliser plants in Victoria. The research relating to fluoride and dental has been done on calcium fluoride, while to my knowledge, no specific research has been done on the health effects and dental benefits of hydrofluorosilicic acid. Unlike the fluoride used in your average toothpaste, hydroflurosilicic acid is not a pharmaceutical grade product. It is an unpurified, industrial grade corrosive acid which has been linked in recent studies to several adverse health outcomes. As it is an unpurified substance, trace amounts of other toxins are thought to present. As a corrosive substance it is also known to leech out heavy metals from older style pluming, adding to the environmental load we are exposed to. This is of particular concern when it comes to children, who are at greater risk of the detrimental effects of heavy metals.

“majority of Australians drink fluoridated water every day…”

Fluoride has been added to our drinking water in most parts of Australia for many years now. There are certain areas, such as Byron Bay, who have resisted this, but a majority of Australians drink fluoridated water every day. It was introduced to help prevent dental caries, or tooth decay which is undoubtedly an important public health issue. Internationally fluoridated water is a controversial issue and many European countries have totally rejected the use of fluoride, these include; Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Sweden. In fact less than 10 countries world wide fluoridate more than 50% of their water supplies – so why do we have it here in Australia? There are other substances added to our drinking water in order to make it safe against pathogens which can cause water born disease – and on the whole we have safe access to drinking water in Australia. Fluoride, however does nothing to make our drinking water safer, it is added as a medication for the masses if you like, for the sole benefit of our dental health. The research and science behind the use of fluoride in water is controversial. Most recent large scale studies have found that fluoridated water provides only a minor benefit to dental health, or demonstrates no benefit at all. According to a recent Canadian government review;

The magnitude of fluoridation’s effect is not large in absolute terms, is often not statistically significant and may not be of any clinical significance.”

Most dental researchers now concede that any benefit gained from fluoride is achieved via topical application, such as that you would achieve by using fluoride containing toothpaste or mouth wash. There is no systemic benefit gained from the ingestion of fluoride, in fact it may be harmful.

So why fluoride?

So what is the purpose of ingesting fluoride and what does it do? The levels of fluoride in our drinking water are indisputably low; however in certain circumstances even these levels may warrant concern. For example when fluoridated water is used in cooking, evaporation may concentrate the levels of fluoride in the food. Fluoride is a common ingredient in toothpaste and other dental hygiene products and the combined total amount from all of these sources may exceed what is considered ideal.

And our children?

Perhaps of greatest concern is the fluoride intake in children and babies. Often parents give their children unfiltered drinking water and use it to reconstitute infant formula. This may have potentially detrimental effects on the health of developing children. Dental fluorosis is perhaps the most obvious and well recognised side effects of fluoridated water. It appears as a white mottling and pitting of the tooth surface. Overexposure to fluoride between the ages of 3 months and 8 years causes this. It can be unsightly and lead to costly dental intervention for cosmetic purposes later on in life. It has been shown that the risk of dental fluorosis is increased in children who were fed infant formula reconstituted with fluoridated drinking water as infants. The concentration of fluoride in such formulas is up to 200 times greater than that found in breast milk. Dental fluorosis is  only one of the health concerns related to fluoridated drinking water, other include a potential grater likelihood of bone fractures, bone cancers, joint pain, reduced thyroid activity and detrimental effects on IQ. In fact the US National Research Council has stated that;

It is apparent that fluoride can interfere with functions of the brain

Fluoride exposure in utero and during early infant development  is of particular concern as babies are vulnerable at this time when the blood brain barrier is not fully formed and they are more susceptible to environmental toxins – another reason for pregnant women to be especially careful to drink and cook with filtered water.

What water should I drink?

Unfortunately a majority of commercially available water filters will not remove fluoride, so it is important to do your homework before investing in a filtration system. Look for reverse-osmosis or alumina systems. Drinking spring water is another safer option however, bottled water is less than ideal for the environment and would prove too costly to use for cooking.

So, my top tips for avoiding excessive fluoride exposure are:

  • Filter your water! Do some research and invest in a home filtration system that will reduce your exposure to fluoride
  • Avoid using fluoridated water during pregnancy, make sure your children avoid fluoridated water and never use it to reconstitute infant formula.
  • Use filtered water for cooking, when fluoridated water is used, evaporation may concentrate the levels of fluoride in the food.
  • Wash your fruit and vegetables in filtered water

If you would like to find out more about water fluoridation  you can log onto www.fluoridealert.org.

Tania Flack

Tania Flack is a leading Naturopath who has a special interest in endocrine, reproductive, digestive and metabolic health. She specialises in gut microbiome and DNA testing and designs innovative health care programs to help people achieve optimal health. She believes in an integrated approach to healthcare, including the use of... Read More
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10 Replies to “Why I Do Not Drink Tap Water”

Thank You for your article to bring more awareness to the dangers of Fluoride.
I am still surprised to hear from some people that they still think it’s good for their teeth.
I have research drinking water for over 15 years and still feel that even after filtering water, you are still not getting healthy water, you must start with a pure and healthy source to get healthy water, after my wife lost her kidneys, I researched 1247 brands of water to find the healthiest water on Earth and I believe I found it.
I honestly believe that it still MUCH CHEAPER to drink Saka Water than filtering tap water and ending up with dead unhealthy water which always costs you more in the long run.
Cheers
Richard

Hi Richard, your research over the years is similar to the people that I have come across. Often saying, I know I have to do something about water but what can i do? Some have a higher awareness (especially for health reason!). Id be interested to learn if you have heard of structured water. Let me know.
Sincerely
Jasen

Hi Jasen
I certainly have heard about structured water and have researched it as well.
In my opinion, as it becomes harder or impossible to find real natural healthy water, structured water will become well known in the future.
Most filters these days produce ‘dead’ water but unfortunately most people don’t know about the ‘structure’ of water, focusing only on the chemicals in the water, which is a good start as we need to avoid the nasty chemicals at any cost especially fluoride.
There’s a couple of products coming out of the US that produce structured water, but as it is a ‘new’ technology and you can see results particularity with plants compared to ‘dead’ tap water. the costs of these units are incredibly high at the moment. I would also try to run the water through a RO which takes out fluoride first, ( not all RO take Fluoride out), then run it through the structured water units. Keep in mind that water has memory and it will come back to it’s original pH after a while. This is the difference of using processed ‘dead’ tap water and real natural mineral water from a Spring.
Again, my first preference is to start with a pure, healthy alkaline water that is not processed, that is filtered by nature, had minerals added by nature and structured by nature, this gives it the better taste, the better absorption and best taste.
Cheers

Mili says:

Hi

I’m looking to get a new reverse osmosis water filter. We’ve had one for years and been happy with the taste of it compared to tap water plus no flouride etc.

Any thoughts on alkalised reverse osmosis systems?

Kelly says:

Sounds like an advertisement, Richard – turns out you own Saka Water?
You should disclose that in your comments.

Hi Kelly
The fact that I am using my real name and real email address and my website is enough to say that I am associated with Saka Water, not hiding anything there at all, in fact very proud to be able to offer the healthiest water on the planet to people to benefit and enjoy. Cheers

Mickey says:

You failed to mention an equally toxic element chlorine. Water utilities also add this to water – and guess what – it has saved more lives than penicillin and every other antimicrobial agent known to man, combined. Let’s not forget the first rule of toxicology. it is not the poison that killls, but its concentration. And like chlorine, fluoride is added to water at concentrations that safeguard public health. So stop the scaremongering, please reveal any conflicts of interest, and drink to Tap water!

Light says:

fluoride calcifies the pineal gland. purchase a reverse osmosis filter and filter spring water. STAY AWAY FROM TAP WATER AT ALL COSTS. EVEN BATHING IN FLUORIDATED WATER WILL HAVE BAD EFFECTS ON YOUR HEALTH!

Concerned says:

Hi, Any recommendations for a good water filter? I live in Sydney. Thanks.

Comments are closed.