[pxeger1]

Ignoring the cadmium problem, is fluoride really harmless? I don't know what concentration of fluoride you'd end up with from converting typical PFAS pollution, but if you get enough fluoride it is acutely poisonous, which might be worse than the carcinogenic PFAS. (Likewise, it might be worse for the environment)

[nick238]

Fluoride doesn't bio-accumulate like PFAS do, which has a strong affinity for proteins and fats in organisms. Constantly drinking water with 0.5-1 ppm fluoride may cause minor side effects like mild dental fluorosis, but you'll excrete almost all the excess as it's very water soluble. Drink water with any PFAS, and your body will strongly hold on to it all.

[formerly_proven]

"0.5-1 ppm" covers what's considered the optimum level of fluoride in drinking water, so I doubt you'd get dental fluorosis from that. Coincidentally, if you calculate the equivalent dose that you'd give babies (via dissolved vitamin D + fluoride tablets), you also end up at about 0.3-0.5ppm.

[bawolff]

Everything is toxic at a certain conentration, but as far as i know PFAS is a million times more toxic than flouride.

According to the EPA safe level for flouride for drinking water is up to 4 mg/L. The epa level for PFOS is 0.000004 mg/L, literally a million times lower.

[sitkack]

I thought the EPA was deregulating everything except flouride which it was going to deem a poison.

[exogenousdata]

Fair point. We should probably have some way to refer to US gov’t funded scientific orgs & their research/recommendations before vs after the 2nd Trump Administration.

[quinndexter]

Pre/post 47.