Fluoride is a health hazard. Due to historically unnatural doses received through products sold and added to our water supply, it is now known that children who receive fluoridated formula as infants have significantly higher rates of dental fluorosis on their front teeth, a defect of the enamel that can lead to embarrassing white splotches and brown stains. Other emerging health concerns from infant fluoride exposure include reduced IQ and thyroid impairment.
The plastic often used to make water bottles contains a variety of health-harming chemicals as well. There are cancer-causing PFOAs PBDEs (flame retardant chemicals), which have been linked to reproductive problems and altered thyroid levels. The reproductive toxins, phthalates BPA, which disrupts the endocrine system by mimicking the female hormone estrogen.
Leaving a water bottle in a hot car, or reusing it, magnifys it because heat and stress increase the amount of chemicals that leach out of the plastic. So the container your water comes in needs to receive just as much attention as the water itself and plastic is an unwise choice from a health perspective.
