You stay classy, Tea Party

JoshV · 2011-10-12T17:39:39.000Z

Papageno:

I think that in Portland we simply value one thing (having some of the best municipal tap water in the country, as free of extra additives as possible) over the dental health benefit, at least the last time we had a vote on it (in the 80’s sometime, IIRC), which is our prerogative, isn’t it? And Portland is hardly the land of rabid Tea Partiers, I assure you.

Maybe you should read that skeptiod article. I would find it highly amusing if Portland ended up giving everyone living there ‘texas teeth’ because they didn’t regulate the amount of flouride in their water.

Papageno · 2011-10-12T17:50:58.000Z

I did read the article. And I very much doubt that there’s any danger of “Texas teeth” because you just don’t see that here, and I think I would have noticed, living here as long as I have, but yes, it would be ironic.

JeffL · 2011-10-12T19:09:23.000Z

I read an article about a year ago that was saying that the number of people drinking bottled water these days, along with the overall reduction in people who drink water or even things like tea made from tap water, has cut back the percentage of people who get significant fluoridation from tap water. Of course, if you brush your teeth there’s no great advantage to having it in the water, as every toothpaste contains it these days.

Wisbechlad · 2011-10-13T01:07:11.000Z

Papageno, it is “fluoride” not “flouride”. Same root as “flux”, not flour…

Flouridation of water supply would be pretty pointless, fluoridation on the other hand…

One of my sisters was born and spend first two years of her life drinking rain water only. Her teeth are sponge like. I was born when we moved to a place with bore-hole water, result, decent teeth. Well, by English standards…

Chris_Nahr · 2011-10-13T02:16:26.000Z

Flouridation of water supply should help with baking bread, though.

Papageno · 2011-10-13T08:24:17.000Z

Wisbechlad:

Papageno, it is “fluoride” not “flouride”. Same root as “flux”, not flour…

Corrected my spelling, thanks.

Scuzz · 2011-10-13T09:24:08.000Z

JeffL:

I read an article about a year ago that was saying that the number of people drinking bottled water these days, along with the overall reduction in people who drink water or even things like tea made from tap water, has cut back the percentage of people who get significant fluoridation from tap water. Of course, if you brush your teeth there’s no great advantage to having it in the water, as every toothpaste contains it these days.

I wonder how many cities are like here where they put so much crap in the water that you either drink bottled water or you filter it somehow. Water here in the valley now smells like chlorine and tastes terrible.

fourfs · 2011-10-13T09:57:52.000Z

Scuzz:

I wonder how many cities are like here where they put so much crap in the water that you either drink bottled water or you filter it somehow. Water here in the valley now smells like chlorine and tastes terrible.

Or cities that don’t take enough crap out of their water that you buy bottled water or use one of those 30c a gallon machines at the supermarket.

Then again, over the summer one of the city’s two water sources completely dried up and turned blood red due to the presence of bacteria that feeds off oxygen-deprived water. I guess you can’t give them too much crap.

I wish we had Portland/the valley’s problems!

fourfs · 2011-10-13T10:04:09.000Z

Scuzz:

I wonder how many cities are like here where they put so much crap in the water that you either drink bottled water or you filter it somehow. Water here in the valley now smells like chlorine and tastes terrible.

Or cities that don’t take enough crap out of their water that you buy bottled water or use one of those 30c a gallon machines at the supermarket. Then again, over the summer one of the city’s two water sources completely dried up and turned blood red due to the presence of bacteria that feeds off oxygen-deprived water. I guess you can’t give them too much shit, as the water is technically drinkable. I wish we had Portland/the valley’s problems!

If it weren’t for what I can only assume is the massive cost, I would prefer a Portland approach of just taking everything out of drinking water. There’s plenty of other ways to get adequate fluoride intake - and hey, if not everyone has access to dental care, why not use it as a talking point putting dental centres in community health clinics???*

*hahahahaha yeah never going to happen on a large scale

JoshV · 2011-10-13T10:46:52.000Z

Scuzz:

I wonder how many cities are like here where they put so much crap in the water that you either drink bottled water or you filter it somehow. Water here in the valley now smells like chlorine and tastes terrible.

Heh, California water does taste different. But there is also like a weird level of paranoia about tapwater from California residents. My wife still won’t drink the tap water now that we’ve moved, and has to use a Brita filter at the least, never mind I haven’t changed the filter in a very long time.

MatthewF · 2011-10-13T10:57:27.000Z

Scuzz:

I wonder how many cities are like here where they put so much crap in the water that you either drink bottled water or you filter it somehow. Water here in the valley now smells like chlorine and tastes terrible.

I’ve noticed that slight chlorine smell as well, but I don’t think it tastes bad. I dunno, maybe you’re a supertaster though.

Kolonial · 2011-10-13T12:04:23.000Z

If you look at Brita and other consumer-grade water filters, what they promise is to remove the “fluoride taste” from the water. It’s not clear if they’re removing the fluoride itself and they’re not even mentioning any other kind of filtering.

IainC · 2011-10-13T12:12:59.000Z

All you people getting your gussets in a twist over fluoride in water would throw a fit if you ever went to Reykjavik. The tap water is entirely safe to drink but smells very strongly of sulphur.

Scuzz · 2011-10-13T12:27:45.000Z

MatthewF:

I’ve noticed that slight chlorine smell as well, but I don’t think it tastes bad. I dunno, maybe you’re a supertaster though.

My office has the testing equipment right out front. The city comes out every other week or so and does something out there. I don’t know if it is a result of that or something else but the water at my office is terrible, really strong. At home you can smell it but I can drink it without a problem.

Scuzz · 2011-10-13T12:31:13.000Z

JoshV:

Heh, California water does taste different. But there is also like a weird level of paranoia about tapwater from California residents. My wife still won’t drink the tap water now that we’ve moved, and has to use a Brita filter at the least, never mind I haven’t changed the filter in a very long time.

Part of California’s water problems are due to ag, part of it is due to minerals that have washed down from the Sierra Nevada’s and then get into the aquifers. Part of it probably is that the larger cities (SF, LA & SD) bring much of their water in from a long way off.

CLWheeljack · 2011-10-13T12:33:26.000Z

Kolonial:

If you look at Brita and other consumer-grade water filters, what they promise is to remove the “fluoride taste” from the water. It’s not clear if they’re removing the fluoride itself and they’re not even mentioning any other kind of filtering.

According to the company, they don’t. (Oddly, from Australian website, but charcoal’s charcoal).

Morberis · 2011-10-13T13:33:09.000Z

Kolonial:

If you look at Brita and other consumer-grade water filters, what they promise is to remove the “fluoride taste” from the water. It’s not clear if they’re removing the fluoride itself and they’re not even mentioning any other kind of filtering.

I’ve never heard the claim that they remove the taste of flouide. They do however remove chlorine, which is probably a good thing and serves no immediate purpose at the time you’re consuming. It does however serve a purpose killing bacteria etc up until the point you drink it. It’s fine to remove it at the point of consumption.

And yes I’m being quite explicit otherwise someone’s going to jump in an claim that I said chlorination is useless.

Lorini · 2011-10-13T13:51:24.000Z

I went with Zerowater for my water filter because it removes lead as well as chlorine. The difference before and after was amazing (noting that I have deteriorating galvanized steel piping).

Kolonial · 2011-10-13T14:04:31.000Z

Morberis:

I’ve never heard the claim that they remove the taste of flouide. They do however remove chlorine, which is probably a good thing and serves no immediate purpose at the time you’re consuming. It does however serve a purpose killing bacteria etc up until the point you drink it. It’s fine to remove it at the point of consumption.

And yes I’m being quite explicit otherwise someone’s going to jump in an claim that I said chlorination is useless.

You’re correct, I meant chlorine taste.

inactive_user · 2011-10-13T14:26:40.000Z

My part of Minneapolis has absolutely awesome tap water. So nyaah :p