By anonymous - 08/12/2014 23:23 - United States - New Baltimore

Today, I found out I have sodium fluoride poisoning. Apparently, my water has a high level of sodium fluorine. I've been drinking much more water lately trying to be healthier. FML
I agree, your life sucks 34 034
You deserved it 2 762

Same thing different taste

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I didn't even know that was actually possible.... just try and drink bottled water instead of from the tap. it'll hopefully prevent that.

If FML has taught us anything, it is that when you try bad things happen.

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I didn't even know that was actually possible.... just try and drink bottled water instead of from the tap. it'll hopefully prevent that.

Or OP could cut out the middle man, and just filter their own tap water, rather than paying -insert bottled water company here- to do it for them.

Not really. You know the camping kits that cost like $40-100 bucks depending on how nice you want? Those will probably work just fine.

Nope. I just googled it. Most of them just remove bacteria. Not fluoride or heavy metals. Right you are Ken. Go with the bottled water.

You can get filtering jugs for about £20, have a look at Brita.

Brita doesn't remove flouride, most filters won't, reverse osmosis filters still only take out a percentage.

you're all wrong, actually. this needs to be reported - fluoride is intentionally put in the water to kill bacteria and other microorganisms, but if it's above recommended levels and it's causing people harm (the op might not be the only one) the water company or whatever government branch that supervises this has to be held accountable, and there needs to be inspections/surveillance to make sure the water won't cause people harm.

Exactly. Fluoride is often put into the water as a natural sort of filter to help prevent people from getting sick. (Sort of like how cholera used to be so bad before clean filtration separated sewage from water.) But if the company has been adding extra fluoride that means the bacteria levels in the water had gone above average levels. Which can happen at certain points through contamination. Or another bacteria being introduced. Reporting it is the best way to go-just like you said, 33. Because the water company is clearly altering the water lately and it's bound to be affecting other people.

You can get bottles and refill them cheap at the Windmill station, or whatever kind of public water refilling station you have. If you have Windmill, it is the best water for a really low price.

As far as I'm aware fluoride is added to water to help prevent tooth decay, which had been massively successful. Too much fluoride however can cause brittle bones and there are links to certain cancers. Get well soon OP!

fluoride also occurs naturally and can have an impact on people who drink well water.

Fluoride is so ******* bad for you. Pisses me off when water companies or toothpaste brands ADVERTISE IT! Come on you guys wise up a bit it's your friggin health

Fluoride actually has a negative effect on teeth.

Government is why it's in toothpaste, but the relatively a minor concern to it being in drinking water. It's basically an experiment and we're just finding out now that it's bad for your health. But nobody really cares. It doesn't make you or your teeth any healthier. Your body doesn't need it. And too much of it (like anything) is poisonous.

When I switched to non-fluoride toothpaste because oo the negative effects of fluoride my teeth became extremely sensitive, I tried multiple ones to no avail. Then switched back to my fluoride toothpaste and the sensitivity issues vanished. Apparently good for my teeth, I wouldn't drink the shit though.

@22 do your research because fluoride really is good for your teeth. One government conspiracy website does not count as research. You're suppose to research both sides.

You tell me to do research and yet you say something with no research behind it? I won't say I'm an expert, but I have done research. It's not a conspiracy. They thought fluoride was good for you and added it to water. Now we're finding out that's not the case, but they won't admit it and fix the problem. I've looked at many websites, talked to several professors and my mother who spent almost a decade studying chemical engineering. Sounds like I've done more research than you.

Uh, @40, you do realize that making the same unsupported statement over and over is not the same thing as "doing research", right? Now, would you care to cite any actual scientific studies?

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AnOriginalName 19

If you're drinking straight from the tap, that'll be your problem. Make sure to verify with the local water district that the water is acceptable to drink from the tap without any sort of consumer filters.

Most consumer filters can't filter out the fluoride (I'm not a chemist so I can't quite explain the science behind it, though). The ones that can are too expensive for home use or they only distill the water (which can leave other impurities in the water). You're probably better off buying bottled spring water if you're concerned about fluoride.

If FML has taught us anything, it is that when you try bad things happen.

I feel you OP, I stopped drinking from the tap when one time it turned brown on me.

well? is it fluoride or fluorine? be consistent, OP. there is a difference. haha xD

So glad I wasn't the only one to notice that

There isn't a difference. Fluoride is the ion of fluorine; they're still the same element. It's fluoride when it's in a compound and fluorine when it's in a neutral state as a gas, or as a liquid, which is less common.

tantanpanda 26

... uh, an ion and molecule are two completely different things. F2 is a gas while F- is an ion. things also have different redox charges. to say something is the same Just because the element are the same is ignorant.

I should've payed more attention in chem

Sodium fluoride is chemical waste. I don't know why it's allowed to be put in the drinking water in America. It's banned in most European countries. Not only that, but the claim that it's good for teeth is completely false. Calcium fluoride is good for teeth, but that's not the same thing...

Sodium fluoride is used in every single professional dental fluoride application, usually at 2.5%, (varnishes are best as they are near impossible to swallow, rinses are garbage and are a rip off of your money) and they contain hydroxyapatite which crystallizes within your enamel matrix and allows for increased strength and resistance to acids, and also help with sensitivity. Acceptable drinking water levels of fluoride are up to 0.7ppm, and it begins to become dangerous around 1.5ppm, equivalent to around 1 drop in an average size bathtub of water. You can have people test your fluoride levels and then report to your municipality if they are undesirable.

The fact that it is dangerous at any level says something. Especially since its banned in europe. Just because companies can buy their way in to make it legal to dump their chemical waste in our water doesnt make it right or healthy, even in small levels. Also regulating the amount is incredibly difficult.