What is fluoride?

Fluoride (or fluoride ion) is the ionic form of fluorine, which can be found in water in the form of salts.

Where does fluoride come from?

Fluoride occurs naturally in certain rocks. Its most abundant form is fluorite. The fluoride salts found in water come from the dissolution of fluorite from granite or sedimentary rocks.

What is its effect on health?

Fluoride is not particularly useful for human growth or development. However, it can help prevent tooth decay. This is why some manufacturers have added fluoride to toothpastes, and why some countries have resorted to water fluoridation.

On the other hand, excessive fluoride intake can cause a condition known as bone fluorosis. Fluoride weakens bone structure and can cause certain bones in the body to become brittle.

Fluoride in water around the world

Fluoride levels in drinking water can sometimes exceed recommended thresholds. This is particularly the case when groundwater comes from volcanic or mountainous areas.

At the beginning of the 21st century, around 378 million people worldwide were receiving artificially fluoridated water, the vast majority of them in the United States. Of these, almost 14 million people in Western Europe had access to artificially fluoridated water.

The effectiveness of activated carbon filters on fluoride

Activated carbon-based filters, even when supplemented by other filter media, are not very effective on fluoride. Only osmosis filters are able to retain it effectively.

Our Ultimate Star Filter® is no exception to the rule, and our tests have shown an efficiency of around 45%.

As a result, we are studying the design of a complementary filter, which will be effective on fluorides and other pollutants, to complement the main filter for use when the water to be filtered is particularly loaded with these components.

While we await the launch of these new filters, our Ultimate Star Filter® is compatible with Berkey® PF-2.