# Fluoride question
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fluoride-question/411993
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [July 16, 2007, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fluoride-question/411993 "2007-07-16T16:03:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2007, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fluoride-question/411993/1 "2007-07-16T16:03:00Z")
Is there fluoride in the water that was used to make my Diet Mt. Dew?
Also, does fluoride remain in water that has been boiled (I assume it does, but…?)
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### Author:  [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2007, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fluoride-question/411993/2 "2007-07-16T16:20:27Z")
[QUOTE=pkbites]
Also, does fluoride remain in water that has been boiled (I assume it does, but…?)
[/QUOTE]
Yes. In fact, boiling tends to concentrate the fluoride in the liquid fraction remaining. The steam would be free of fluoride, though. If you condensed this steam, you’d have water free of fluoride. This is referred to as distillation.
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### Author:  [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2007, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fluoride-question/411993/3 "2007-07-16T16:24:16Z")
This article in pdf format will probably answer your first question.
[http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/Fluoride/fluoride.pdf](http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/Fluoride/fluoride.pdf)
In general, the concentration of fluoride in carbonated beverages is comparable to that found in municipal tap water.
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2007, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fluoride-question/411993/4 "2007-07-16T16:25:19Z")
[QUOTE=pkbites]
Is there fluoride in the water that was used to make my Diet Mt. Dew?
[/QUOTE]
It’s going to depend on where the Dew was bottled, but most likely, yes. Most US municipalities do fluoridate the water supply. Mosrt beverage bottlers do filter the water, but I’m not sure if this filtration removes fluorides.
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### Author:  [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2007, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fluoride-question/411993/5 "2007-07-16T16:30:46Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.]
It’s going to depend on where the Dew was bottled, but most likely, yes. Most US municipalities do fluoridate the water supply. Mosrt beverage bottlers do filter the water, but I’m not sure if this filtration removes fluorides.
[/QUOTE]
Ordinary filtration will not remove fluoride unless some type of reverse osmosis or ultrafiltration process involving semipermeable membranes is used.
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2007, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fluoride-question/411993/6 "2007-07-16T18:48:46Z")
[QUOTE=robby]
Ordinary filtration will not remove fluoride unless some type of reverse osmosis or ultrafiltration process involving semipermeable membranes is used.
[/QUOTE]
I realize that. RO is very common nowadays, but I don’t know if your typical Mountain Dew bottler is using it or not.