Does Reverse Osmosis Remove Fluoride? All You Need To Know!

* Last updated 9/23/2020

One of the biggest problems that we face today after the shortage of water is the presence of the chemicals which make water unfit for drinking. In this article, we will be talking on the topic- does reverse osmosis remove fluoride?

Water is the most important and necessary constituent for the survival of life on earth, after air and before food. It may be possible to go for a week or two without eating a meal, but it is impossible to live for more than a couple of days without drinking water.

However, water can also be a medium that can contain a lot of dangerous and harmful substances and chemicals including the likes of lead, fluoride, and others. Or even manmade waste like the runoff from factories and other chemicals. The water system in your locality can also be fluoridated by the town or the government. As it is has been found effective in reducing the outbreak of tooth decay.

Before we answer: does reverse osmosis remove fluoride, let us look at some of the negative health effects associated with increased fluoride in the drinking water.

Side Effects Of High Fluoride Levels In Water

Fluoride is found in toothpaste and has a positive effect on your dental health. But, increased intake of the element, especially in the dissolved form can greatly affect your health. Here are some of the side effects that you may experience if there is an unhealthy dose of fluoride in the body.

Affects The Bones And The Teeth Of The Individual

Even though a limited amount of fluoride is good for preventing your teeth from decaying, an increase in the amount of the fluoride intake, even by a small margin can affect your teeth and your bone.

Increased fluoride in drinking water has been associated with dental mottling and weakening of the bones. The beneficial amount of fluoride in water is about 1mg per liter. But even a 0.5mg per liter increase in the fluoride levels can increase the risk of bone fractures.

Effect Of Fluoride On Babies

Increased intake of water contaminated with fluoride has been found to be linked with reduced IQ in babies. There is no positive effect of providing fluoridated water to babies and should be strictly stopped.

That said, let’s have a quick look on what actually reverse osmosis is.

What Is Reverse Osmosis?

So we have already talked about the adverse effect of the increased fluoride in the drinking water. Now let us see how the process of reverse osmosis works and whether it is capable of removing the fluoride from your drinking water.

Reverse osmosis is the process in which the solvent passes through a porous membrane in the direction that is opposite to the direction of natural osmosis. This is achieved by subjecting the medium to a hydrostatic pressure higher than the osmotic pressure.

How Reverse Osmosis Removes Fluoride From Water?

In a reverse osmosis machine, the salts and other unwanted minerals and chemicals in the water are removed by pushing the tap water through a semi-permeable membrane under high pressure. The types of minerals and chemicals that can be removed from the water with the system are dependent on the size of the pores in the membrane.

The reverse osmosis process can be used to remove a large number of minerals and chemicals from the drinking water. It includes salts fluoride, lead, iron, calcium, and magnesium. The process removes the chemicals and minerals based on its size. This means that it will remove both harmful and beneficial minerals and compounds if they are bigger than the minimum limit.

Your Turn

When it comes to the health and wellbeing of our family and loved ones, it is important to take no chances. It is extremely important to make sure that you invest in a good and efficient water filtration system. Thereby, it can help remove all the harmful components in the water in your area. On the other hand, knowing the amount of water needed for your body is essential, as if excessive drinking water causes more harm than benefit.

What are your views on the question: does reverse osmosis remove fluoride? Do let us know in the comments.