Fluoridation
The Government brought out news today that Ashley Bloomfield has written to 14 Councils to fluoridate their water. From international standards in fluoridation, it is noted generally that the use of fluoridation up to 1.5ppm is safe for health and supports the health of teeth especially.
Within this there is a large population of the community that is against fluoridation of water. This is due to skeletal fluorosis as well as dental fluorosis which is typically probable in water that has fluoride higher than 1.5ppm.
Some people also notice that Fluoride effects their thyroid health in a negative way.
Fluoride comes from fluroine, which is a common, natural, and abundant element.
Adding fluoride to the water supply reduces the incidence of tooth decay.
Fluoride protects teeth from decay by demineralization and remineralization.
Too much fluoride can lead to dental fluorosis or skeletal fluorosis, which can damage bones and joints.
Fluoride is only ingested into the body orally so you only need to purify the drinking water, there is no need to purify the whole house water.
To purify water from fluoride, there are two main ways:
is the use of Reverse Osmosis to purify water. This is a more expensive solution as the filter units are quite complex with multiple stages. The RO membrane is the one that does all the work on this. Prices start from $1495 fully installed. The filters last quite a long time with membranes lasting upto 5 years.
is the use of AAL or Activated Alumina. This is the lower priced option as it only requires a two stage filter that includes the AAL and Carbon Block filter. Prices are generally $850 fully installed. The AAL filter lasts 6 moths before needing changing and typically cost $150 for two filters.
These places have now been asked to add fluoridation to their water supply:
Auckland, Hastings, Horowhenua, Kawerau, Nelson, New Plymouth, Rotorua Lakes, Tararua, Tauranga City, Waipa, Waitaki, Western Bay of Plenty, Far North and Whangārei.
To see where in New Zealand Fluoridation has already occurred
Information taken from: