Technicians in a water testing laboratory use a chemical testing technique with the anacronym SPADNS to measure the fluoride content of a water sample. Traditionally this test involved the use of labware and chemicals not typically found outside of the laboratory. Therefore pretty much all fluoride in water testing took place in a laboratory setting.

Thanks to a recent breakthrough by the research and development team of Industrial Test Systems, Inc., laboratory technicians have an easier way to test using the SPADNS method — AND the average person can now test for the presence of fluoride in drinking water w/o having to send their water out to a laboratory.

Reasons to Care About Fluoride Levels in Drinking Water:

(1) Your Child’s Teeth — “A little fluoride is a good thing for your child’s teeth, but swallowing too much of it over time can lead to a condition called fluorosis that can cause white spots to show up on his adult teeth.” ( source )

(2) Experts Disagree — “There is a lot of information available about fluoride but the information is also sometimes conflicting. Some leads us to believe fluoride in drinking water is a good thing; and some says just the opposite! Even information in clear opposition claims to have solid scientific backing – how can this be? This situation led us to ask: How can a person make an informed decision about whether fluoride is good or bad when everything they hear is so conflicting?” ( source )

(3) Potential (Accidental) Over Exposure — “Even those who aren’t convinced of the toxicity of fluoride should be concerned about the level of fluoride added to the water supply. The optimum level was set in the 1940s at approximately 1 ppm (equal to 1 mg/l). This was based on assumptions that the total intake of fluoride would be 1 mg/day, assuming 4 glasses of water were drunk per day. However, current intake of fluoride comes not just from the water supply. A study conducted by researchers at the University of Iowa and reported in the November issue of the Journal of American Dental Association found that 71% of more than 300 soft drinks contained 0.60 ppm fluoride. Toothpaste, beverages, processed food, fresh fruits and vegetables, vitamins and mineral supplements all contribute to the intake of fluoride. It is now estimated that the total amount of fluoride ingested per day is 8 mg/day, eight times the optimum levels.” ( source )

Many more reasons exist, but for now just understand that experts disagree about the health effects of fluoride in drinking water, too much fluoride can and will damage teeth, and the possibility exists that we may currently get exposed to a lot more fluoride on a daily basis than we ought to.

With that in mind, anyone bothered that information ought to either get their water tested for fluoride content or consider taking advantage of the fluoride testing capabilities of the versatile eXact Micro 7+ Water Testing Meter.