Where does Toothpaste go?

So I often hear folks decrying fluoridated water.

I don't want to get into that just now, other than to ask the question...

Where does Toothpaste go?

We have heard over the past couple of years that our water supplies are full of trace amounts of all sorts of absurd things such as anti-depressants, hormones, and other WTF substances.

I was recently thinking about all the things we put down the drain, and one of these, is toothpaste. Americans are literally pouring fluoride down our drains every night and morning.

Where does all this fluoride go? Is it somehow magically removed during the water treatment process while these other bioreactive elements make it through?



[edit on 27-8-2009 by HunkaHunka]

reply to post by HunkaHunka


Yes, It is my understanding that it is removed via the processing stage. However, I don't particularly trust tap water, so I stick to bottled waters.

reply to post by Scooby Doo


You do know that most bottle water is just tap water thats been run through a slightly better filter right?

You could save money by getting a filter for your facet and get the same result.

On Topic.

I don't' think there is really much you can do about flouride in your water. You are going to drink it regardless of if it is from peoples mouths or added to it.

The only thing you can do to ensure you aren't getting flouride in your water is to move to a house with a well.

reply to post by HunkaHunka


Good question.

I have a water filter that's supposed to remove most toxins including fluoride. I haven't used fluoride toothpaste in a long time, ever since I discovered Xylitol based toothpaste instead. It works much better, the history of how we came to use fluoride in the first place is crazy. They need to remove it from our water supply, and take it off the market altogether. But they won't because it keeps dentists in business. (And the medical field, because of what it does to your body.) There's a lot of good info out there regarding the benefits of Xylitol and the dangers of fluoride.

www.mbschachter.com...

Good question Hunka.

I guess it goes where all the other stuff we flush down our drains goes. In my community it's called "gray water" and is used for irrigation.

But like all the antibiotics flushed down the toilets in urine, undigested vitamins and other drugs people take, I think it all ends up in your system through your drinking water unless you use bottled water or filter your tap water. Even then you need to be aware of what your particular system will and will not filter out, and where your bottled water is coming from.

I live in an area with fluoridated water and do not have an adequate system to filter it out, but do use a fluoride-free toothpaste. Interestingly enough my teeth are whiter and gums are healthier since I switched more than a year ago.

And remember if you have children that mint flavoring (as well as many essential oils) in toothpaste can be toxic if swallowed in large amounts.

reply to post by HunkaHunka


I dunno, but I don't drink water. I think my mother said it best. If you ask her if she wants some water, her reply is "[snip]bomb NO! Fish [snip]bomb in that [snip]She said it to a waitress once when the whole family was out to dinner. I fell out of my chair laughing! She's a heavy set Grandmotherly looking lady. You'd never expect it to come out of her mouth!


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[edit on 28-8-2009 by elevatedone]

reply to post by Scooby Doo


Also a lot of companies add fluoride to the water after processing.
www.bottledwater.org...
Just read the label to see where it comes from. So even if it is a reverse osmosis, which will eliminate all fluoride, they just add the crap back in.

Originally posted by jd140
reply to post by Scooby Doo

 

You do know that most bottle water is just tap water thats been run through a slightly better filter right?

You could save money by getting a filter for your facet and get the same result.

On Topic.

I don't' think there is really much you can do about flouride in your water. You are going to drink it regardless of if it is from peoples mouths or added to it.

The only thing you can do to ensure you aren't getting flouride in your water is to move to a house with a well.

That "slightly better filter" (a reverse osmosis filter) is the reason why its better to drink bottled water than tap water. Reverse osmosis filters cost a lot of money, but they're the only filters that remove fluoride from tap water. You can't get fluoride out of tap water with a regular filter for a faucet.

Awesome post! i was going to post something VERY close this to this! Thumbs up tot he thread creator
Orion65, what knida water fitler do yuo use that fitlers out lots fo stuff including fluroide? Outside of reverse osmosis, www.crytsal quest.com sells fluorid fitlers (alumini) with a .5 or 1 micron rated carbon block manufactured together...this all i was ever able to find..curious about yuor filter setup!
I rememer email my local water supply and sewage treatment plant, a good 3 or 4 years ago, and they sent me an email explingin how it works, and that ther upgraded system will remove about 98-99% of everything form the water. Thats not 100%. per capita, that 1% untreated DOES add up. Everdayk, over 240,000 gallons of sewer water goes to the treatemtn plant here. so, 1% ( yuo do the math) is still alot, and being chemcials will accumalte in short time.
Thier simly is no technology or antying can effectivly clean dirty water 100%. fact of life.

reply to post by angrysniper


Hey, if you say so.

I still trust my own filtered water that comes out of the sink more then I would tap water that is put into a bottle.

You might want to read the post above yours.

But if spending a dollar or more for bottled water makes you feel better then I'm not going to rain on your parade.

reply to post by JaxonRoberts


How dumb.

You do realise that every living thing on earth needs and drinks water?

So even the nice fruit and vegetables you eat have water that fish have used as it's bathroom.
In fact, the water we drink has been been reused and recycled for millions of years. Imagine all the dead rotting creatures you're eating!

reply to post by angrysniper


Reverse Osmosis does remove flouride, however it kills your water. It removes most beneficial nutrients as well.

Check this filter out. It uses gravity and you can add a flouride filter to it.

www.pleasanthillgrain.com...

I have both a reverse osmosis under sink filter as well as this berkey counter top filter and there is a significant diference in taste and quality of the water.

reply to post by Chadwickus


Dude, do you not recognize humor when you see it??? Come on, really??? Do you watch a comedian and interpret it as a news broadcast?

im with jd140 on this.buying tap water is a no no for me I:
if you want go to a mineral water deposit or a high river in the mountain and get alot of water from there,then filter it?

reply to post by HunkaHunka


what about water from snow or running waterfalls high in the mountains? in a very very isolated low population area? coz thats exactly what Tasmania is.

I grew up in Tas, thinking about moving back there, low pop, much untouched rainforest, many waterfalls, platapus & tassie devils - cool wierd animals, and the cradle mountains where it always snows & on top is a fairly un-busy ski lodge.

good water no? would the process of becoming snow & the water again add to the filtration process?? I freakn hope so or my idea of a hunter s. thompson style retreat is boned.

P.L.U.R.I
-B.Morrison

reply to post by ziggy1706


I have a reverse osmosis filter, it goes under the sink.

You're right, it may not be 100% but it's better than drinking fluoridated water (and it gets out other toxins as well). I'd rather have water this way as opposed to buying bottled water at the store because you're never really sure what you're getting. I doubt any filter system is going to be 100% perfect.

I didn't really notice too much of a difference in the taste of water as I live in WA state and the water doesn't taste bad in my area anyway. But my relatives live in San Diego and noticed a huge difference with filtered water.

the brita filters you place on your faucet in a sink work great.

www.brita.com...

I am not from the United States, but all i drink is tap water.

I never really thought about the toothpaste in that way. I presume it gets removed. If not i've probably been drinking a lot of it.

reply to post by JaxonRoberts


I was going to apologise for missing the humour in your post but i just reread it and again missed where the funny bit was...?

Anywho so i don't stray too far off topic, i think the op has asked a good question but as others have said, there are a lot of worrisome things that go down our drains.

I've just remembered that my local water supplier uploads their water quality test results every so often, will try to have a look when i get the chance.

Maybe others can peruse their local reports to see if anything unusual pops up.

reply to post by Chadwickus


Well, I guess you had to be there, cuz it was frakkin' hysterical! No harm, no foul.

In this day and age, I don't think it's possible to find any beverage that is pure. Using a water filter, like the Brita (as mentioned before) will probably help, but you really only have two choices, drink the poison or die of dehydration. Sad but true.