WHAT WATER SHOULD I DRINK?
A pregnant woman shouldn’t drink a substance that has the potential to harm the brain of her fetus.
Based on the first-ever “mother-offspring” studies released in 2017 and 2018 and funded by three U.S. government agencies (NIH, EPA, NIEHS*) the critical period of exposure to fluoride as far as neurological damage is concerned was during pregnancy. The researchers found that the typical range of adult exposure to fluoride in fluoridated communities could lower the IQ of pregnant women’s offspring by up to 6 IQ points (Bashash et al., 2017).
If you live in a community that fluoridates the water
• You don’t want to drink the tap water
• You don’t want to use tap water for food preparation, such as soups, rice, tea, coffee, infant formula, etc.
• You want to avoid any tap water served in local restaurants.
What Water Should I Drink?
• Low fluoride or no-fluoride water.
• Distilled water or bottled water filtered with reverse osmosis
• Bottled spring water – however call the telephone number on the label to find out what the levels of fluoride are in the water. Some spring water can have high levels of fluoride. You want water that has less than 0.2 parts per million fluoride (which is the same as 200 parts per billion).
• Buy a Reverse Osmosis (RO) filter and have a plumber install it under your kitchen sink. These filter systems cost up to $300 and come with a separate faucet for the filtered water. You can use this water for drinking and cooking. It is important to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for changing filters; otherwise they will become ineffective and toxic.
• There are also counter-top Distillation units. They don’t have to be plumbed. Some are less expensive than RO units
• Some food markets offer reverse osmosis water at a low price if you bring in your own containers. You can use 1, 2, or 5 gallon containers with the dispensers. Phone stores in your area to locate one.
• Inexpensive carbon water filters, like Brita, do not remove fluoride.
One of the most challenging questions for low-income pregnant women.
It’s a simple question: What water should I drink if I live in a community that fluoridates the water. Why? Because those in poverty
— may not be able to afford to buy bottled water
— may not be able to afford a fluoride-removing filter
— may not be able to carry the water home if they do not have a car. One gallon of bottled water weighs 8 pounds.
Can I buy bottled water with SNAP benefits?
• Yes. But it would be much better if communities provided water without fluoride to Moms2B and everyone so their food stamps can be used for FOOD!
Why is fluoride added to the water in the first place?
Early in the 20th century it was thought that children needed to swallow fluoride to have good teeth. That belief was why cities began adding fluoride to drinking water. It was even recommended that women take fluoride drops during pregnancy if they lived where the drinking water did not have added fluoride. However, the evidence has been clear for at least two decades that swallowing fluoride does nothing to improve dental health. Unfortunately, most health professionals in the U.S. are still taught that fluoride in water is desirable, and most water systems in the U.S. continue to add non-consensual fluoride treatment to their water, despite all the research showing the potential harms and negating any benefit.
If you want to do more
A good start is to help pass this information on to others by word-of-mouth, email, and on social media. You can also work in your community and state to raise awareness. Strategize with friends and colleagues on the best ways to get the message out (flyers, posters, letters to editor – see our Spread The Word page).
Request your city and county health departments, the local WIC program, and decision-makers to issue warnings to pregnant women; or request your city council to invoke the Precautionary Principle to place a moratorium on water fluoridation.
*National Institutes of Heath, Environmental Protection Agency and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
http://fluoridealert.org/issues/moms2b/what-water-should-i-drink/