Actually, one of the main purposes for fluoridation and
chlorination of water is to kill the bacteria that may be present
in the water. If we actually stop adding the fluorides and
chlorides into our tap water, people MAY start getting sick or
worse.
Of course, you may choose other methods such as ozone or UV
treatment, but keep in mind that these methods only sterilise the
water at the point of application. This means that if the pipes in
your home are dirty, you're still gonna end up sick. Chlorination
and fluoridation ensure a residual anti-bacterial effect even when
the water leaves the treatment plant.
Anyway, there was a stir about this issue in the Forum section
of the Straits Times a few years back. With the concentrations
found in Singapore's tap water, you'd need to drink hundreds of
litres of tap water in a single day to accumulate enough of the
chemicals to start affecting you. Just for the record, different
places have different levels of water treatment. Singapore's level
of flouridation is lower than that of other countries. Our
maximum level of flouridation is equivalent to the
minimum level of flouridation practised in other
countries.
Do compare the values here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_fluoridation#Countries_where_fluoridation_is_practised
http://www.pub.gov.sg/general/Pages/WaterTreatment.aspx
And before any flaming starts, no, I don't work for the PUB or
the gahmen.
