MORE than 80 per cent of people have said no to the addition of fluoride to public drinking water.

That is the overwhelming result from a massive county-wide survey.

The news has come as a blow to public health bosses who believe fluoride has the potential to improve child dental health – but anti-fluoride campaigners have claimed a victory after 85 per cent of the 1,095 respondents to a Lancashire County Council consultation said no to the chemical.

The statistic was made up of 93 per cent of people who claimed to be fully keyed up on the issue.

Coun Liz Vaughan, from North West Councils Against Fluoridation, said:
This is fantastic news and it goes to show that most people are against the addition of fluoride to their water. It goes against human rights and if health authorities decide to add fluoride, where will it stop? What else will they be allowed to add?

Hopefully this consultation will stop the process before it goes any further.

The majority of the public felt a change in children’s dietary habits was necessary to improve dental health. A total of 75 per cent felt eating less sugar and a healthier diet would improve the statistics which show five-year-olds across the North West as having at least two decayed teeth.

The majority – 85 per cent – felt that the onus was with the parents rather than health or council workers, to maintain their child’s dental health.

Expected

Paul Smith, recent founder of a Fylde coast anti-fluoride group, said: This is quite good but I would have expected more people to oppose fluoride to be honest.

People just don’t seem to understand the seriousness of the situation.
The group is in the process of sending out leaflets to agencies across the area, informing them of the consequences of fluoridation.

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