Can filters remove chlorine and fluoride from drinking water?

[croghan27]

I am not sure I want to debunk something here - but I would like some more info on something a co-worker spends money upon.

'Bill" spends several hundred dollars a month on various things in health food stores... echinecia just being one. He recently said he has a 'filter' home that takes chlorine and florine out of his drinking water. It is both chlorinated and florinated by the minicipality. He pointed to our filter at work - but it takes out only particulate matter - not tiny atoms.

I do not think that a filter will remove either of these elements - they are just too small, filters work on sizes measured in microns and atoms like these will slip through the mesh.

Does anyone have any ideas here ... perhaps he may have some kind of catalytic filter that actually does do something.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Chlorine can be removed using an activated carbon filter, like a Brita Filter. Methods to remove fluoride ions are discussed at the following:
http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryhowtoguide/a/removefluoride.htm

 

[croghan27]

Thank you for that link, Ivan - I shall send it to work, print it off and we shall discuss it.

There was also a series of links to articles about the benefits of fluoridation.

My only experience with Florine in the drinking water comes from my brother. He had four daughters. The first two of my nieces were born before the municipality fluoridated the water - the second two after.

I know he spent (literally) thousands) on the teeth of his initial two daughters - while with the teeth of second two, he would send them once a year to a dentist for a check, always satisfactory, and continue on ...