Fluoride is all over the news, your group chat is split, and you're standing in the shower wondering what your kids are soaking in. Before you buy a fluoride shower filter, here's what actually reaches your family in the shower, and the filters that handle all of it.
Yes, if you want it out of the water your family stands in every day. Fluoride mostly gets in when it's swallowed, and little kids swallow shower water. The bigger daily hit on skin is chlorine, which dries skin and comes off in the steam. Tubo handles both in one step: the Tubo Pro Showerhead Filter ($95) and the Tubo Go Shower Filter ($59) remove fluoride and up to 99% of chlorine, plus heavy metals.
Why is fluoride in tap water?
Fluoride is a mineral found naturally in most water. Many US cities add more to prevent cavities.
Not every town fluoridates. As of 2022, CDC data showed about 63% of the US population got fluoridated water. Your city's annual water quality report lists your level.
What changed: the NTP report and the US fluoride debate
Fluoride became a hot topic again in 2024. Here's what happened, in order:
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| August 2024 | The National Toxicology Program (NTP) concluded with "moderate confidence" that fluoride above 1.5 mg/L in drinking water is linked to lower IQ in children. |
| September 2024 | A US federal judge ordered the EPA to take further regulatory action on fluoride. |
| 2025 | Utah and Florida became the first states to ban adding fluoride to public water. |
| April 2025 | The EPA committed to an expedited review of new science on fluoride. |
| Late 2025 | The FDA moved to restrict unapproved ingestible fluoride prescription products for young children. |
| August 2026 | The EPA released its protocol for a new fluoride health assessment. The review is still underway. |
The NTP findings are about fluoride you drink, and kids drink more shower and bath water than you'd think. The shower is the easy place to take it out.
What reaches your family in the shower?
Here it is plainly:
Chlorine in the steam
Chlorine comes off in hot shower steam and strips the oils off skin and hair, every single day.
What kids swallow
Little kids gulp shower and bath water. Swallowed fluoride is absorbed well through the gut.
Picture your toddler, face up in the spray, mouth open. Or your eczema kid stepping out red, tight and itchy after a hot rinse. That's why families filter the shower: the chlorine they feel every day, and the fluoride they'd rather not have in the stream at all.
Our pillar guide, do shower filters actually work?, covers the chlorine side.
Which fluoride shower filter media actually work?
Fluoride is hard to remove. Basic single-media chlorine filters don't touch it. You need a filter built for fluoride.
| Shower filter | Removes fluoride? | Where you'll find it |
|---|---|---|
| Tubo Go and Tubo Pro ✓ | Yes, plus up to 99% of chlorine and heavy metals | Built for your shower |
| KDF-55 alone | Little to none. Built for chlorine and metals | Basic shower and bath filters |
| Activated carbon alone | Little to none on fluoride | Basic shower, bath and pitcher filters |
| Vitamin C alone | No. Great for chlorine, not built for fluoride | Vitamin C shower filters |
The fix: a filter built for fluoride and chlorine together. That's exactly what Tubo makes, in two styles.
The Tubo Pro Showerhead Filter is our pick for families who want the main shower handled once and for all. Love your current showerhead, renting, or traveling? The Tubo Go screws on behind it in minutes.
Can't decide between the two? Read showerhead filter vs inline shower filter.
So should you filter fluoride in your shower?
Here's our take, by situation:
You still have chlorine. The Tubo Go Shower Filter takes out up to 99% of it.
They gulp the spray. The Tubo Go takes fluoride out of the stream in minutes, no tools.
Test your well, and put a Tubo filter on the shower so fluoride is out of the spray.
Fluoride and chlorine out in one step. The Tubo Pro Showerhead Filter does both.
Comparing shower filter types? See the best shower filter for sensitive skin, and keep yours working with how often to change a shower filter. Bathing little ones in the tub? Read bath filter vs shower filter.
Fluoride out, up to 99% of chlorine out, one set-and-forget showerhead. Join 50,000+ families who trust Tubo with their bath and shower water, backed by a 60-day money-back guarantee. Get the Tubo Pro Showerhead Filter →
Frequently asked questions
Do shower filters remove fluoride?
Basic single-media filters don't. You need a filter built for fluoride. Both the Tubo Go Shower Filter and the Tubo Pro Showerhead Filter remove fluoride, plus up to 99% of chlorine and heavy metals.
Is fluoride in bath water safe for babies?
Babies often swallow bath water, so it's worth knowing your local fluoride level. Ask your pediatrician about your local water, including the water you mix with formula.
Does boiling water remove fluoride?
No. Boiling evaporates water, so fluoride becomes more concentrated. A filter built for fluoride, like the Tubo Go or Tubo Pro, takes it out of your shower water.
Is fluoride still added to US tap water?
In most places, yes, at a recommended 0.7 mg/L. Utah and Florida have banned it statewide, and the EPA is reviewing new science. Check your local water report for your level.
Which Tubo filter should I get for fluoride?
For the main family bathroom, the Tubo Pro Showerhead Filter ($95), a complete filtered showerhead. To keep your showerhead, or for renting and travel, the Tubo Go Shower Filter ($59). Both remove fluoride and up to 99% of chlorine.
- CDC — About Community Water Fluoridation. cdc.gov
- National Toxicology Program — Fluoride monograph (August 2024). ntp.niehs.nih.gov
- US EPA — Fluoride in Drinking Water (review timeline). epa.gov
- KFF — Water Fluoridation in the U.S.: The Federal Role in Policy and Practice. kff.org
- CareQuest Institute — 2026 Community Water Fluoridation Policy: State Legislative Activity. carequest.org
- Salt Lake Tribune — After Utah bans it in water, fluoride treatments targeted by FDA, other states (Feb 2026). sltrib.com