9 Sources of Fluoride That Might Surprise You

1. Non-Organic Tea

Tea leaves accumulate more fluoride from soil and air pollution than any other edible plant. Total fluoride content depends on steeping time. In one lab analysis, a cup of black tea was found to contain 17.5 mg of fluoride. The level in green tea was even higher, at 22 mg per cup. Non-organic iced tea, instant tea, and decaf tea are all known to contain high amount of fluoride.

2. Processed Cereal

When cereals are manufactured using fluoridated water, the water evaporates, leaving concentrated levels of fluoride in the finished product. One study found that cereal made with fluoridated water contained fluoride levels ranging from 3.8 to 6.3 ppm (the maximum contaminant level for fluoridated water set by the EPA is 4 ppm).

3. Other Food and Beverages Prepared in Fluoridated Water

This one is a little more obvious, but it’s still easy to overlook. Coming from someone who breaks out after eating steamed broccoli or drinking a single Newcastle (who knew Newcastle was one of the few cities in the UK to fluoridate its public water supply?), food and beverages made with fluoridated water are a significant source of fluoride exposure. When eating out at fluoridated restaurants, don’t forget that foods like pasta, rice, mashed potatoes, and steamed vegetables will contain some of the fluoridated water they were cooked in. Fruit juices can pack an extra fluoride punch due to the promiscuous use of fluoride-based pesticides. Which brings us to…

4. Grapes, Potatoes, and other Non-Organic Crops

The primary fluoride-based pesticide used in the U.S. is cryolite, most commonly used on crops of grapes and potatoes. The EPA allows over 7 ppm of cryolite on 30 different fruits and vegetables, including broccoli, citrus fruits, cucumbers, lettuce, peaches, peppers, strawberries, and tomatoes.

5. Factory-Farmed Chicken

My fluoride-o-meter goes into hyperdrive with this one. When humans ingest fluoride, roughly half of it accumulates in the bones while the other half is excreted. A similar process must occur with chickens because it’s the chicken bones that contain the highest amounts of fluoride (commercial chicken feed can be high in fluoride-based pesticides). Chicken skin is another culprit. Watch out for soups made from a chicken stock base as well as mechanically deboned chicken products and luncheon meats.

6. Teflon and Aluminum Pans

The next two fluoride sources have not been verified by my experience with fluoroderma, but the research makes them worth mentioning. I cook with cast iron, pyrex, and stainless steel, but some fluoridation opponents argue that teflon and aluminum cookware can leech dangerous fluoride compounds into the food. Considering that most of the fluoride added to the public water supply is a byproduct of the aluminum industry (you can check your local water report to find out where your fluoride comes from), this does not sound like an outlandish claim.

7. Fluorinated Pharmaceuticals

The list of fluorine-based medications is staggering, from anesthetics and antibiotics to antidepressants like Paxil and Prozac.

[To find out if your medications are fluorine-based, here is an index of fluorinated pharmaceuticals from the Fluoride Toxicity Research Collaborative]

8. Showering/Bathing in Fluoridated Water

I haven’t found any scientific studies of fluoride exposure from bathing, so this evidence is mostly based on my anecdotal experience (although research does confirm that small amounts of fluoride may be inhaled or absorbed through the skin). I noticed a marked improvement in my fluoroderma when I installed a carbon filter in the shower, but I did not find complete relief until I moved into a non-fluoridated house. When I visit relatives who live in fluoridated cities, the fluoroderma flares up slightly even though the sink/shower is my only major source of fluoride exposure.

9. Non-Organic Wine

Remember all that fluoride-based pesticide they are spraying on grape crops? You probably don’t want to hear this, but it ends up in your wine glass. Researchers from California State in Fresno conducted a 5-year study on vineyards in San Joaquin Valley. They found fluoride levels between 3 and 9 ppm. At 6 ppm, one small glass of non-organic wine contains as much fluoride as a liter of “optimally” fluoridated water.