Donegal County Council is one of many county councils to pass motions calling on the Government to rid our drinking water of fluoride.
However, water fluoridation has continued to be an issue leading up to the general election.
It has now emerged that water fluoridation causes birth defects, according to a letter sent by Fluoride Free Towns to the expert body who advise Minister Leo Varadkar and the Department of Health on ongoing matters of concern.
Despite county councils including Dublin City, Cavan and Monaghan passing motions to scrap the Health Act 1960 which concerns fluoridation of water, the Government are the only EU government which maintain this policy on drinking water.
“Fluoridation is a serious matter of urgent national importance requiring immediate intervention and action by the Department of Health in order to protect the Constitutional rights of the unborn and individuals to bodily integrity,” said Owen Boyden, director of the West Cork Fluoride Free Campaign and The National Fluoride Free Towns Project.
Fluoride Free Towns said that systemic fluoride ingestion interrupts the enamel formation stage of tooth development which for the primary dentition (baby, milk or deciduous teeth) occurs during fetal development or pregnancy as a result of the maternal fluoride intake crossing the placenta.
However, determining whether an infant has suffered this condition is not possible until an infant’s baby teeth erupt at an age of between 6 months and 2 years old.
The same developmental disturbance occurs to the permanent dentition of infants and children between the ages of 3 months and 5 years old as a result of exposure to fluoride from sources including infant formula constituted with fluoridated water, food products manufactured with artificially fluoridated water or naturally occurring fluoride and or dental products such as toothpaste or mouth rinses which contain extremely high levels of fluoride.
Fluoride Free Towns claim that a 2005 study conducted in Cork City and County found 32% of those living in a fluoridated region had experienced fluorosis damage to their primary dentitions.
Yet no action was taken to prevent or restrict such harm occurring as a result of the study’s findings.
The Fluoride Free Towns group is advising the general public to reduce their daily intake of fluoride to zero until a safety threshold has been determined and are especially recommending expectant mothers to be to avoid all sources of fluoride to ensure their child when born does not suffer from fluoride induced birth defects.
“We are advising people to avoid all sources of fluoride especially expectant mothers, infants and children,” said Boyden.
“Pre eruption damage to the enamel formation stage of primary and permanent dentitions commonly referred to as fluorosis is widely known which has unfortunately been sidelined as just a cosmetic issue which it clearly is not and authorities have been very slow to acknowledge and warn the public on the damage fluoride can cause to developing fetuses,” he concluded.
Print 
PDF