The answer is yes. The real question is – could there be a problem with that?
A Long Standing Tradition
Colorado has been regulating the level of fluoride in drinking water since 1953. Some of the levels of fluoride are naturally occurring, however since 1953 the government has been adding fluoride if the naturally occurring level drops below 0.7mg per liter. Thankfully, this is far below the federal government’s maximum level allowed in drinking water of 4mg/liter, however the fact that the government is adding a chemical known to be toxic in high doses* to drinking water without consent has some people concerned.
Is Fluoride Bad To Ingest Everyday?
This is where things get a bit shaky. Although there has yet to be a study directly showing that the increased levels of fluoride in drinking water cause cancer, the American Cancer Society claims there has not been enough data to either prove or disprove correlation with negative health effects. There are many reasons why it is difficult to study this topic, as there are many variables at play and it is hard to find a control group that has no fluoride exposure.
There is, however, a specific concern for children who are developing still and drinking fluoride during their primary dental development years as this may cause problems such as dental fluorosis. However, as long as the maximum level of fluoride is below 2mg/liter, they usually will not develop this condition.
Another condition caused by increased levels of fluoride ingestion is skeletal fluorosis. This is a condition in which fluoride builds up in a patient’s bones over time. It leads to joint stiffness and pain, as well as weak bones or fractures in older adults. Usually this condition does not arise if people are digesting fluoride concentrations under 4mg/liter.*
How to Opt-Out of Fluoride Ingestion
Causation between regulated levels of fluoride in Colorado’s tap water and health conditions has yet to be proven, so there is truly no reason for most people to have this concern. However, for those that want to opt-out, the only way to avoid any potential risks of health conditions arising from ingesting fluoride is to only drink water that has had fluoride removed. Just like the best alternative to GMO’s is organic foods! The most environmentally sustainable way to do this is to have home bottled water delivery service, as the bottles are cleaned and reused so there is no waste involved in process (unlike buying individual bottles from the store or having a filtration system which usually cannot remove all of the chemicals such as fluoride on it’s own). Rocky Mountain Bottled Water is a Colorado owned and operated Bottled Water company, and home delivery is our primary service! If you are interested in Bottled Water Delivery and you live in Denver or the greater Denver Metro Area, you can try us free for your first 30 days!
Click here to learn more – https://www.rmbw.com/bottled-water
*Fluoride toxicity information:
https://iaomt.org/resources/fluoride-facts/fluoride-toxicity-exposure-effects/
*Fluoride levels in Colorado’s tap water information:
https://www.wqa.org/learn-about-water/common-contaminants/fluoride
*Skeletal fluorosis information:
https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/diseases-risks/diseases/fluorosis/en/