"There is no need to fluoridate the water supplies," says Dr. Michael Fleming. He's a Durham dentist who thinks we're getting far too much fluoride.

"Fluoride in the water is essentially a drug, it's an uncontrolled use of a drug," says Dr. Fleming.

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Everyone knows fluoride is in your toothpaste and in some mouthwash. But fluoride is also in places you may have never guessed. It's in soft drinks and beer. Thinking of having orange juice and oatmeal for breakfast? If they're made with water in a fluoridated community then your breakfast comes with a side of fluoride.

Dr. Fleming says because fluoride is all around us his interest is in controlling the dosing from all sources.

Most communities in the triangle add fluoride to their water supply. The water treatment plant in Raleigh serves more than four hundred thousand people in Wake County. There's a special room where liquid fluoride is added to the water to keep the level within federal recommendations at about one milligram per liter of water.

But, the fluoride in the water supply could be impacting your health. In 2006, a report by the National Academy of Sciences identified fluoride as a potent hormone disruptor that can affect your thyroid and potentially lower the IQ of children. The report also says some children who drink fluoridated water develop something called fluorosis, a defect in their teeth that causes discoloration and erosion of the enamel.

"I think it's bad, having it in the water, we don't know what the results are going to be in the future," says Ed Daigle. He lives in the western North Carolina city of Brevard. Earlier this year, he led a one man crusade and convinced the city council to stop putting fluoride in the water supply.

"Why take a pristine water supply like we have and add a poison to it? Because it is definitely a poison," says Daigle.

Last year four Harvard researchers released a study revealing a five fold increase in bone cancer in teenage boys who drank fluoridated water years earlier because the ages of six and eight.

"How have we been lead to believe that fluoride is this wonderful thing that will make us all have bright, white, healthy teeth?" asked Steve Daniels.

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"Some people suggest, adding fluoride to the water is like adding sunscreen to the water to help fight skin cancer," said Steve Daniels.

"I think let's just keep it topical," said Dr. Fleming. He continued, "The studies clearly indicate that, that is where the benefit is primarily found. Therefore taking it internally doesn't make any sense to me."

The National Academy of Sciences of NAS report also says fluoride accumulates in your bones over time and can increase your risk of breaking bones.

What Chemicals do Filtration Processes Remove/Reduce?

The true power of the filtration process lies in multimedia filtration technology. By using multimedia filters, select minerals can be retained in water while more harmful or useless minerals and chemicals can be removed. The magic of multimedia filters lies in their use of chemical processes, as well as physical processes for the removal of undesirable ground and surface water contents. As more media elements are added to the filter cartridge, the filter is able to remove more of the dangerous mineral contents. Multimedia filter cartridges can remove such harmful mineral deposits and chemical additives as arsenic and fluoride from drinking water. Though arsenic levels are generally low in most ground and surface water, the mineral can be deadly. Fluoride, while useful in maintaining healthy teeth, is a reactive and dangerous chemical that should be taken with care.