Leicester Mercury, Nov 18 2003
We could now be now entering Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World' of mass
medication, because MPs have passed a law that fluoride can be added to
water supplies to fight tooth decay ('Fluoride moves', Leicester Mercury, 11
Nov). The Government wants us to take fluoride because it believes it's
good for our health, but are happy for people to smoke. Fluoride has been
linked with a wide range of medical problems. The Government ignores the
fact that it is illegal to give a medication to someone without seeing a
doctor. But fluoride is not a registered medicine but a registered poison,
more toxic than lead and illegal to dump at sea.
The Government fails to understand the issues involved. Nevertheless, people
can still oppose fluoridation because under the Bill, local communities
decide whether to have fluoride added to drinking water.
Bob Ball,
Leicester Mercury, Sept 2 2003
The dreaded F-word has galvanised Greens, along with the National Pure Water Association, consumers and others, to campaign in public opposition to Government plans to add fluoride to our drinking water. On September 8, Parliament is to vote on a new law that could lead to the rapid fluoridation of all Britain's water supplies.
Fluoridation carries significant health risks which have been played down by the Government. Fluoride has been linked with a wide range of medical problems, including thyroid trouble, brittle bones, irritable bowel syndrome and cancer.
As well as general health concerns, there is a growing worldwide uncertainty about whether fluoridation reduces tooth decay or not. Ireland is Europe's most fluoridated country, but doesn't have Europe's best teeth. Fluoridated Gateshead has the same level of tooth decay as non-fluoridated but socially-comparable Liverpool.
Even a scientific review in October 2000, on behalf of the National Health Service and called the York Review, found little evidence to show that fluoridation improves dental heath. Its chair, Professor Sheldon, stated: "The review did not show water fluoridation to be safe."
While the trend in the world is to stop putting fluoride in drinking water, the Government is taking us backwards and encouraging health authorities to request fluoridation as a way to improve dental heath for some people in our communities. However, there are now only about half a dozen countries in the world that fluoridate to any extent. In the last couple of months, Switzerland has stopped fluoridating and Korea is stopping after its professional bodies came out against it. Mass dental studies from Canada, India and the USA have indicated that fluoridation does not reduce tooth decay. In Europe, many countries have significantly reduced tooth-decay levels - in almost all cases without fluoridation.
The chemical involved, hexafluorosilicic acid, has never been safety-tested for human consumption and is a toxic waste product. Fluorosilicates are listed under the 1972 Poisons Act. Hexafluorosilicic acid is more toxic than lead and it is illegal to dump it at sea. This is what the Government and some MPs want to put in our drinking water.
The proposal to fluoridate Britain's drinking water breaches long-standing medical ethics and the European Convention on Human Rights by forcing consumers to take medication against their will.
If the Government's proposals are voted through, then the new Bill will compel water companies to fluoridate if local health authorities, in consultation with the local community, ask for it.
It is not the job of water companies to convey mass medication. If you follow this strange logic, one could demand that aspirin should be added to drinking water because some people need their blood thinned to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
We know tooth decay is caused by poor dental hygiene and eating too much refined sugar. Enforced fluoridation does nothing to address either of these problems. Education is the key to improving dental health.
A world of mass medication
Spokesperson, Leicester Green Party
On September 8, the Government will seek the right to put poison in our water, says Bob Ball