NORWICH – An investigation is under way at City Hall to see how safe it would be to add fluoride to our drinking water.
A cross-party committee has been formed which will report back to decision-makers on its findings.
The results will then help the council to decide if it should oppose a nationwide Bill which could lead to fluoride being automatically added to our water system.
Fluoride is put into water to protect against tooth decay, but it has been linked to poisoning, cancer and pre-senile dementia. It is toxic to infants and cannot be used in bottled milk.
A Bill is making its way through the House of Commons and looks likely to get the go-ahead.
But Norwich Green Party is leading a campaign against mass-fluoridation in the city, saying it could be hazardous to people’s health.
And at a full council meeting, members voted overwhelmingly to look into the matter in more depth and investigate the possible risks to health.
Jessica Goldfinch, councillor for Henderson, proposed a motion to object to mass-fluoridation. She said: “There is overwhelming evidence laid out in scientific and medical journals which links fluoridation with a range of health problems ranging from dental fluorosis (first symptom of fluoride poisoning), pre-senile dementia and cancer.
“Mass-fluoridation could see a staggering 45 to 50,000 tonnes of fluoride poured into the environment. This presents a serious threat to wild and aquatic life and potentially decimating our organic food industry.”
She added mass-fluoridation contravened a basic right to protection from enforced medication.
It is also medically categorised as poison, more poisonous than lead and only marginally less poisonous than arsenic. If children eat a whole tube of toothpaste, they could die.
If Norwich was to oppose the change to drinking water, it would be following in the footsteps of Liverpool, Lancaster, Brighton and Calderdale City Councils in fighting the Bill.
Adrian Ramsay, Green Party councillor, said: “We were happy with the decision on the night.
“It is an issue which a lot of councillors admit they know little about.”
He said if Norwich City Council officially opposed the Bill, they would lobby the Strategic Health Authority to not fluoridate the water in Norwich.
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