LOCAL citizen’s groups, Sligo Action Against Fluoride (S.A.A.F.) have said that opposition to fluoridation is mounting and revealed that some medical doctors have now joined the anti-fluoride campaign and stated their total opposition to compulsory fluoridation.

Dr. Liz Cullen, Co-Chairperson, Irish Doctor’s Environmental Association (IDEA) together with other members has said: “The practice of adding fluoride to the drinking water of the Irish population should be stopped immediately.”

She cited the following reasons:

Ireland is not fluoride deficient and dental decay is not caused by lack of this chemical.

There is no knowledge of the total exposure of the population to this chemical, which is found in toothpaste and many other dental products.

The evidence that fluoride improves the dental health of a population is dubious at best. It was known for certain however, that dental health has improved by eating less sugar and brushing the teeth regularly and not by adding more chemicals to an already polluted world.

After witnessing the report on fluoridation presented to the NWHB by Dr. Joe Mullen, representatives of citizen’s groups from Sligo and Leitrim were critical and maintained that the report contained misleading statements. The citizens groups said they objected to the manner in which the board was continuously being kept in the dark about adverse health effects.

Concerns

Speaking to the Sligo Champion, Dr. Liz Cullen, explained that the IDEA was formed in 1998 by medical doctors in response to their growing concerns about the amount of chemicals in the environment.

Fluoridation was one of the issues they had addressed but the Association were stunned when the Health Research Board refused to fund their proposed study into the levels of fluoride in the Irish population.

“There has never been any study of this kind carried out it in Ireland,” Dr. Cullen claimed.

She added that she would still be calling for the end of water fluoridation in Ireland, regardless of the outcome of any studies, pointing out that adding a chemical to the public water supply was no way to prescribe medication.

Choice

“The more thirsty you are, the more fluoride you ingest. I don’t know of any other medication that is administered that way. And fluoride is also found in toothpaste — we have no way of knowing the fluoride levels in our bodies,” she explained.

“People should be allowed to take fluoride as a matter of choice. Those who want to take it can get it in tablet form but it should not be forced on the entire population. If a section of the population suffered from constipation, there is no way we would agree to the Government adding laxatives to the public water supply,” she said.

At local level, a retired dentist, Dr. Leslie Noble, stated: “To put any ‘medication’ into the water supply is a dangerous concept because children, adults and the elderly all differ in their susceptibility to different chemicals. Instead of adding fluoride to our water, we should go to the root of the problem, by minimizing our sugar intake.”

K. Zurek, of S.A.A.F., said that the Health Board was not adopting the precautionary principle, that where there was the slightest hint of adverse effect, the policy should be halted pending independent investigation.

He concluded that citizens from Sligo, Donegal, Leitrim and Dublin, not wanting to be force fed this toxic substance any longer under any circumstances, were currently seeking legal advice to have fluoridation banned.

Dr. Cullen addressed a Dail committee meeting on fluoridation on Thursday, July 20th.

Print PDF