Latest features

You are in: Wear > Features > Latest features > Fancy fluoride in you
pipes?

Healthy teeth may come at a price
Fancy fluoride in your pipes?
How's your knowledge of fluoride? Do you know what it actually does t
your tap water? Do you know what it does for your teeth? Well here'
the chance to find out, and tell us what you think too…

Fluoride Facts
The first water supplies to be fluoridated were in the USA over 5
years ago.

The experiment then spread to New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Irelan
and the UK.

Fluoride can act, in a complex way, to reduce the acid that cause
tooth decay.

Anti-fluoride campaigners claim it can cause cancer, osteoporosis
organ and genetic damage.

Within the EU around 12.1 million people are currently supplied wit
water whose natural fluoride content has been artificially adjusted u
to the optimum level.

In the UK, fluoridated water is supplied to around 5.5 million people

The most extensively fluoridated region in the UK is the Wes
Midlands.

In the Republic of Ireland, 67% of drinking water is fluoridated.

Cast your vote on fluoride here>>>

Across the country, there have been heated debates for years about th
compulsory fluoridation of water supplies.

Some say that there is good evidence that fluoride helps to preven
tooth decay strengthening teeth, particularly when they are forming
and makes the enamel more resistant to harmful acids.

But others insist that the enforced introduction of fluoride to wate
supplies can not only lead to bones becoming brittle and cause damag
to internal organs, but also breach fundamental human rights…

To fluoridate or not to fluoridate... where do you stand on th
debate?

There's no getting away from fluoridated water
In a recent public debate in Sunderland, persuasive points, from bot
sides of the argument, were delivered by Dr David Evans (Consultant i
Dental Health), who is in favour of fluoridation and Bill Etheringto
MP, who is against artificial fluoridation.

But your opinion is valued in determining any future action on th
treatment of drinking water in the region.

Councillor Norma Wright, Chairman of the Health & Well-Being Revie
Committee said, "Public opinion will be hugely important when it come
to helping the Strategic Health Authority make their final decision
which they can only reach after a huge public consultation exercise."

You can vote here, online and tell us what you think today...

The figures in the vote are not representative of public opinion

last updated: 20/02/06

Have Your Say
Fluoridation... is it something that we should be wary of or is i
something that the dental health of all will benefit from? Have you
say here...
Your name:  
Your comment:  

The BBC reserves the right to edit comments submitted.

Martine Grost
Adding sodium fluoride to tap water is forced medication. Fluorid
accumulates in the human body and causes many serious medica
conditions. Individual consumption varies so why should elderly adult
be forced to drink fluoride? Is this worth risking osteosarcoma in you
child?

Paul Hindess
I grew up in an unfluoridated area of the UK and enjoyed excellen
health throughout my childhood. When I attended university in Coventr
and later when I lived in Bedford my health in general was mysteriousl
poor. After years of investigation (seeing many doctors and doing muc
research of my own) I eventually discovered the cause - both Coventr
and Bedford are fluoridated. I now drink only bottled water (
begrudged expense) as I still live in Bedford, but at least I have see
a return to my previous good health. I sincerely hope fluoridation o
public water supplies is abandoned imminently. Its severe cumulativ
toxic effects are quickly discovered with only brief research.

Alexander Hodgson
no way do i want it in my drinking Water ,it is a dangerous posion

Neil Adsett
Fluoride is a poison and the data for it's use is long dated It is no
used to make water safe to drink so it's inclusion in water supplies t
supposedly treat 2.5% of the population is mass medication. Once it's in
the water supply it will be in all locally manufactured foods and in
your home cooked meals. Cities that have been fluoridated since 1960's
are recording the same epidemics of early childhood dental caries as
non-fluoridated cities and towns. It's a social problem that can't be
fixed by mass medication.

Liv
Fluoride has been shown to cause a range of life-threatening diseases.
Why risk this just to avoid tooth decay which is not a serious health
threat?

David McRae
Surely fluoridation has no place in the modern, civilized world. I
understand it appealed to social engineers of the 1950s, but the
principle of INDIVIDUAL treatment, carefully tailored to the patient,
is supposed to be the state of the art of medicine now. Fluoridation is
the exact opposite. It is obsolete. It is anti-scientific. The countries
with the best dental health records DO NOT practice fluoridation. And to
boot, they avoid all the side-effects and bone problems. Who keeps
pushing this outdated nonsense?

Cr Lisa Intemann BApSc
If people knew the real situation about fluoridation they would reject
it in a flash. But health authorities refuse to debate the science
because to do so would expose the health risks that are involved. If
fluoridation was ever effective in reducing tooth decay then it isn't
now. In my country (Australia) the latest dental survey shows NO
significant difference in decay rates between children who have/not
consumed fluoridated water all their life (Armfield and Spencer 2004).
The same can be said of the latest US dental survey (CDC Surveillance
2005) which fails to recognise fluoridation as a factor in reducing
decay (but monitors the incidence of damaging 'dental fluorosis' which
is caused by too much fluoride in the diet). The WHO does not give
blanket support for fluoridation but recommends the need to monitor
daily inake and health effects FIRST - before even starting.
Unfortunately neither of these things have been done in or for any
fluoridating country in the world. We are flying blind. It is surely
time to END this outdated ineffective and DANGEROUS experiment in
social engineering. Thanks to the BBC for promoting discussion on this
important issue of health and democratic rights.

John Wilson
The question and there are many is why a government should use a waste
product if it is genuinely concerned for the health of the community?
Why add additional poisons to the drinking water? A condition caused by
too much fluoirde intake is called Skeletal fluorosis, characterized by
hypermineralisation and thus brittle bones. There seems to be a marked
rise in the numbers of hip and other fractures with the elderly since
fluioride has been added to drinking water without considering the
natural levels in the water and also the extra fluoride that is added
into the environment through manufacturing processes, etc. Also there
seems to be an increase on broken bones and fractures suffered by
sportsmen to what I remember from when i was young and before
fluoridation came in. I know the argument that it is a faster game or
it is tougher but the levels of injury seem remarkedly high and perhaps
some research needs to be undertaken here. Also there is the
occupational exposure to fluoride-containing dust. It generally occurs
after prolonged exposure in both the workers and residents who live in
close proximity to the industry, usually low income earners are more
likely to live in an industrialised area. It is considered that it is
possibly reversible: if the exposure is removed, the fluoride levels in
bones gradually decline. However we need more research into this to be
satisfied that this will occur. Regular consumption of water with
fluoride concentrations above about 4 mg/L involves progressively
increasing risks of skeletal fluorosis. The USEPA has set this level as
the maximum acceptable for drinking water above it; communities are
required to lower the fluoride concentration by treatment to remove it,
or by dilution. People with kidney impairment have a lower margin of
safety for fluoride intake- Limited data indicate that their fluoride
retention maybe up to three times normal. Temperature also effects the
levels of fluoride takeup and people living in warmer climates will
need to reduce their intake of fluoride in the drinking water. People
who are sensitive to chemicals including fluoride have not been
seriously considered. I know of many people who react badly to
fluoridated water supplies. Perhaps the dental profession and
governments consider these people are part of an acceptable risk?????
People with kidney problems are also subject to health problems caused
by fluoride. Are they also acceptable risks? I do not support water
fluoridation for many reasons and believe that if you want to poison
yourself then use fluoridated toothpast, gel or tablets but leave us
who do not want it alone.

Judanne Simpson
There is evidence now showing that fluoridation has no effect on teeth
after the age of 15 and that it is dangerous for children under the age
of 10. Why should ALL people of ALL ages be MADE TO drink this poison
when is only has a claimed benefit for such a small percentage of the
population? Even more evidence exists to prove that fluoride ingested
over long periods is dangerous to health for people of ALL ages.

Ken Loughran
5% of our state is Flouridated and we have the lowest tooth loss in the
45 - 60 age group, another state which kas 91% flouridated has the
highest tooth loss at 18%. How can you justify putting it in our
drinking water, is there big bucks in it for someone??? Ken

Robert Briggs
Whwn all is said and done, those who initially mistakenly thought water
fluoridation would be effective in reducing dental cavities with only a
little dental florosis can be forgiven for their mistake. However,
those who continue to promote it (water fluoridation)when the 60 years
experiment has failed to support the initial assumptioms amd claims,
certainly cannot be excused. A visitor from another planet would
certainly agree with those of us who clearly see the ridiculousness of
the whole idea of water floridation. The visitor would see it as one of
man's greatest mistakes, and most assuredly would not see it as a great
health program, as touted by CDC and parotted by ohers.

Donald REID
Fluoridation is an outdated and dangerous-to-health practice that
should be stopped. Porponents of the practice should let science
prevail over faith.

Wayne Evans
Fluoridation of public water supplies goes against the basic human
right of not being subjected to forced medication.

Bob Briggs
Available literature makes it aboundantly clear that the promotion of
water fluoridation continues, not for tooth decay reduction, but rather
it is for the benfit of large corporations and to protect the agencies
that erronously endorsed it in the beginning. Anyone (dentists,
physicians, health officials, dental and medical associations, and
legislators in particular) upon an open minded review of readily
available literature, cannot honestly conclude that water fluoridation
is safe and effective. I believe their continued support of water
fluoridation (most,if not all, must know water fluoridation is neither
safe or effective)is neglect of duty and that they should cease their
supportorbe prosecuted. Just think about this: what would happen to you
and me if we were caught delirately contanminating our neighbors' food
or water with any of the stuff used to fluoridate the public's water.
This delibrate poisoning must be stopped.

Jennifer Luke PhD, BDS
Fluoridation of water supplies is biologically unprecedented. In the
few populations that have had/do receive naturally high fluoridated
water, infants living in these areas don't get any F because their
mother's milk remains virtually F-free - despite the high-F intake by
the nursing mother. Physiologically, fluoride does not pass through
into milk; in humans or in cows. Therefore, since the beginnings of
time, neonates have never been exposed to the effects of F. The
unprecedented nature of this public health measure is therefore
alarming. The official recommendation for increased F-intake at an far
earlier stage in human development should be delayed until far more
extensve research is carried out. Future generations will say we just
didn't look hard enough.

Mary Hilary
Seeing the word 'fluorides' on its own, tells me nothing. Using this
'collective' word caused me a mountain of confusion for a time. I
understand that 'Fluorides'is a collective or group name only, like,
'fruit' or 'colour'. We need to know which of the 'FLUORINE-COMPOUNDS'
OR 'FLUORIDES' is added to the drinking water. We need to have
displayed, its correct chemical name, its correct chemical symbol,
(H2SiF6) or (NaF) and what its INDIVIDUAL TOXICITY IS to humans, plants
and our ecosystem is. Had I been asked, I would not have agreed to allow
an ingredient formerly used as a rat poison, in the form of
sodium-fluoride (NaF), also known as 'fluorides' to be added to my
drinking water ever, ever. Forcing anyone to use this 'fluoride ion' in
this hazardous package beggars belief. A poison doesn't care whether you
know about it or not, it works silently anyway. 40 years after
compulsory water fluoridation in Ireland I find out that 'dental
fluorosis' was known health damage from the word go. I thought the
public had a right to know of any side effects BEFORE swallowing
substances prescribed by medical professionals. This did not happen
with water fluoridation in Ireland. Its time is over.

Roy MacKinnon
As a therapist I condemn fluoridation of water for its very clear
destruction of good health.

Goski alabi
I beleive too much floride causes browning of the teeth. flouride in
water uses daily may result in such a situation

Mary Ann Wilson
A recent study (Xiang 2003) has shown that children's intelligence
declines as the fluoride level in drinking water increases. How many of
our children's IQ points have been sacrificed to the water fluoridation
god?

Chris Neurath
I'm from the US, where fluoridation of public water was invented.
National surveys show that kids in all the non-fluoridated European
countries (which is just about all of them) have just as good teeth as
US kids, and their decay rates have fallen as fast as or faster than in
the US. This shows that water fluoridation is unlikely to have
benefitted dental health in the US despite incessant claims by many
dentists and government public health officials.

Lynne
Most familiar with this issue are aware that the UK government
commissioned a full review of fluoridation studies by the NHS Centre
for Reviews and Dissemination (NHSCRD) at the University of York. The
review's findings were meant to put an end to the contentious debate,
but were so misinterpreted by proponents and the press that the CRD
panel itself had to make statements clarifying its findings.

Anita
Flouride has just about killed my Mother and Sister. They are both in
terrible health due to this.

ann
Forced fluoridation flouts my civil rights, and is illegal mass
medication, teeth respond to a healthier diet not toxic substances
inflicted en masse.

Brett Laboo
Forcing “medication” on the entire population without the consent
of every member is an outright & blatant violation of the sovereign
rights of each individual therein. This action belongs to those of a
totalitarian despot, not a modern civilized western nation. The
government should be defending the rights of the citizens not abusing
them.

Maureen Jones
1) 90% of tooth decay occurs where fluoridation was never claimed to be
effective; the pits and fissures of teeth, i.e., the chewing surfaces of
the molars. Thus, for decades, dentists have been applying plastic
sealants to these surfaces. A 1929 study by McKay showed that 95% of
tooth decay occurred in the pits and fissures of molars. 2) In 1993,
the Journal of Public Health Dentistry reported, "50% of US Head Start
children have had Baby Bottle Tooth Decay". Fluoridation does not work
here either. And nowadays the Sippy Cup is extending this devastating
decay of poor children to epidemic levels. The Denver Post, 4/13/04,
illustrates this point; Denver has been fluoridated since 1954 and one
dentist reports 300 cases a year of this rampant decay. See
www.Keepers-of-the-Well.org (Effectiveness - # 7, #9, #10, and #12) 3)
Fluoride’s effect is now claimed to be topical (such as toothpaste)
rather than by ingestion: “Fluoride incorporated during tooth
development is insufficient to play a significant role in caries
(cavities) protection.” J Am. Dent. Asso. July 2000. The CDC concurs:
see MMWR Oct. 1999. 4) In establishing the lethal dose for test animals
(LD50), it took 20 times MORE natural-occurring calcium fluoride to
kill 50% of the adult guinea pigs than it took for any of the three
water fluoridation chemicals. 5) The Aug. 12, 1992, Journal of the
American Medical Association, Utah hip fracture study shows that hip
fractures were doubled for women at age 75 (Figure 1) if they drank
fluoridated tap water for a 20 year span prior to their menopause when
bone turnover is still rapidly depositing the embrittleing fluoride
into new bone. The men's increase in hip fracture was 41% (Figure 2).
These figures only reflect the 50% accumulation into adult bone.
Imagine what this figure would have been had these women been raised on
fluoridated water since infancy wherein fluoride accumulation is 87%!
Sincerely, Maureen Jones, Archivist Citizens for Safe Drinking Water

Lorna Koch
My right to freedom of choice will no longer exist. Everyone has
different requirements - we are not all the same. Mass medication is
NOT an option under any circumstances.

robert crisp
if a medicine it taken it needs to be taken by a controlled. how can
the amount be controlled by adding it the water supply since different
people will drink different amounts and also were their food comes from
was it grown and watered or processed with fl water so i don't how this
will work. should it be necessary have this medicine then some people
will be overdosed and others underdosed

betty fowler
I oppose water fluoridation. The fluoride compound added to public
drinking water contains contaminants including lead, arsenic, mercury.
All contribute to illness.

ani frazier
Regardless of whether fluoride is beneficial or toxic, it is
involuntary medicaton. Overwhelming evidence suggests it is toxic.
Would you have aspirin added to the water to prevent heart attacks when
it could cause harm to parts of the population? Add sunscreen when it
has been shown that topical (not systemic) application is the effective
delivery system?

David Thomas
It's highly toxic. It has been proven to calcify the pituitary gland
ref J Dean

Delavan Sipes
There would be no reason to use fluoridation to "purify" our water, if
we didn't allow everyone to use our water as a dumping ground for a
vast variety of toxic wastes. When will the governments wake up and
seriously get at the business of ensuring clean water, without the need
to put addition toxins in the water?

Gretchen
Whether fluoride compounds prevent tooth decay or not, and whether they
cause health problems or not, isn't even relevant. Any substance added
to public drinking water supplies should be to treat the water to make
it safe, never to treat people. It's outrageous that this was ever
allowed to happen.

Roy Smith
There is no need for fluoride in the water the money could be better
spent on a comprehensive oral health policy starting in the home with
the nurses' visits.Now there is the spectre of fluoride causing
osteosarcoma in young children mostly boys. The silicofluoride added is
toxic waste and should be kept away from all water supplies.The
industrial need to dispose of fluoride waste is a matter of record.The
marketing effort to sell this profitably as a public health benefit
constitutes the longest and most discreditable sales campaign in
history. Refusal of politicians, official scientists and profesional
bodies to admit the truth and resist industrial pressures.... is an
international scandal. (Dr Peter Mansfield MA,MB,BChir)

Arietta Smith
Fluoridation is unethical, mass-medicating the population without
informed consent. Fluoridation can have many negative side-effects even
to healthy people, and is particularly damaging to some people with
existing heath conditions. And people in many communities without
fluoridated water have teeth as good or even better than those in
fluoridated areas. There are much better ways of encouraging good
dental health than administering a poisonous substance in our water
supply.

Peter Davidson
What has fluoride toothpaste been doing all these years? Most children
have for years been brushing fluoride directly on their teeth (the most
intelligent and scientific manner imaginable for applying a topical
treatment) at up to 1000 times the concentration in fluoridated water,
yet, we are told, their teeth are still rotting, a situation which will
abruptly cease onct they start to swallow this poison in their drinking
water. What kind of idiots do the fluoride pushers think we are to
swallow this garbage (both verbal and chemical)?

John Wilson
I grew up in outback Australia, with unfluoridated drinking water and
did not have access to all of the sugar based fast foods. My teeth were
in perfect health. As and adult also had a farm and when I married, my
children grew up without fluoridated water supplies. Their teeth were
also in a perfect state. However in 1982 I moved to Melbourne as a
consultant with the Victorian government along with my two youngest
children. They had more pocket money and spent it on sweets and
sweetened drinks. Their teeth deteriorated rapidly until they had to
have them removed or filled. Why did Melbourne fluoridated water not
protect them if it was so good? The difference was that on the farm
they only had healthy foods e.g. meat, vegetables and milk products.
They were never ill and the only time they visited a hospital was when
they cut themselves playing on the farm. They had beautiful healthy
teeth. The aboriginal children I played with outback as a child had
healthy teeth and the one thing that stands in my memory was the bright
shining smiles of their health teeth. They too did not have access to
fast foods and sugar sweets and drinks. So the real answer to
protecting teeth is good dental hygiene, i.e. through brushing and
cleaning, a healthy diet and exercise. Not fluoridated water. If our
government authorities took time to study would show that there is
little, if any benefit of fluoridating the drinking water. The side
effects are more serious, e.g. brittle bones, fluorisis and cancers.
Examination of the Acts in each state breach the constitution; our
medical health acts that state no-one should be forcibly medicated
against their will. It is a breach of the Nuremberg Code; the Helsinki
Declaration and ignores the World Health Organisation that advises that
before fluoridating drinking water supplies a bone density study should
be undertaken to see what fluoride is already in the body of the public
as it is possible that there is already sufficient or more than
sufficient fluoride in the body and the adding of more will endanger
the health of the community. Australia is yet to undertake a study, yet
has mandatorilly fluoridate parts of Australia and is attempting to
fluoridate the rest through legislation. Parts of Australia has already
levels of fluoride naturally occurring that is well above the safe
health levels. Manadatory additions of fluoride to these waters is
irresponsible. Allowing Water Boards and Council to add fluoride is
illegal as no-one who is not a qualified medical practioner may
medicate the community. The Fluoride Acts hand the tasks over to
untrained and unskilled people who are basically labourers. It is now
time for the community to consider Class Action against those
departments or individuals who support and enforce fluoridation of
water supplies. Governments who try to legislate the right of the
community away to stop anyone suing I believe cannot as it Breaches the
Common Law rights of the individual under the Australian Constitution. I
have copies of research materials that I believe shows and proves that
fluoridation is illegal and destructive to the health of many members
of the community. Adding it to drinking water supplies will not
guarantee that some individuals will not get more than the recommended
amount, ie. if the water has more than the reccommended amount in the
natural water; if I drink only one glass as ooposed to an athlete who
might drink 7 or 8 glasses. For those wishing to poison themselves with
fluoride then they can choose to purchase fluoride tablets brush their
teeth with fluoirdate tooth paste, etc. It is unnecessary to force it
on the population. To argue that low income people suffer from dental
decay more than the affluent sectors of society is conjecture. It is
more likely that they are unable to attend dental clinics for help
because they cannot afford it or alternatively they do not have access
to dental facilities that might not exist in the area. Encouraging good
dental hygiene, health foods and stopping companies from add

Noeline Gannaway
I oppose the addition of fluoride to water as unscientific and un
ethical.Even at 1ppm toxic effects occur.

Paulette
Fluoride has taken my life from me, my bones can't hold me up, my
thyroid have spots on them. I was very healthy before I moved where
they added fluoride to the water, as time goes on, my health goes down
more,I have no choice, I have to drink the water. The very word
FLUORIDE makes me sick. I pray they will get this poison banned & very
soon, I worry my kids will suffer this same fate if it is left in our
water.

William Snodgrass
Sane people would not knowingly put poisons into their food supply, nor
would they knowingly put poisons, such as sodium hexafluorosilicate and
fluorosilicic acid ("fluoride"),in their drinking water...or woul
they? Look about. Neurodegenerative disease and cancer now smolder i
our very midst. Who among us will bear witness to the chemical horro
that's become real life? The children bear witness, as they alway
have.

Bill Kilvert
Non-fluoridated London has the best figures. Fluoridated Birmingham i
the "fat capital" of England, because fluoride effects the thyroi
gland and this effects obesity. British Dental Surgeon, Dr. Geoffrey
Smith stated: "The dental profession became the respectable front fo
the most cruel hoax in the history of medicine".

Nancy Robertson
Time has shown we can clearly no longer take any notice of the "bi
name" Dental and Health authorities when they tell us fluoridation i
"safe and effective". Their nonsense can never be better confirmed tha
by seeing the legal profession now recognizing research is linkin
fluoridation with increased risk of bone cancer.

Doris M Jones
Many comments have been made stressing the multitude of harmful effect
of fluoride. Here is one more: The 1994 and 1998 issues of the BMA's Ne
Guide to Medicines and Drugs stated that fluoride at levels over 2pp
could cause dental fluorosis (mottled teeth) and over 8ppm may lead t
bone disorders and degenerative changes in vital body organs (e.g. th
kidneys, liver, adrenal glands, heart, central nervous system an
reproductive organs). ...and: 'A child who has taken a number o
fluoride tablets may vomit and lose consciousness. Give milk if th
child is conscious, while urgent medical help is sought.' Curiousl
though, the BMA endorse fluoridation.

Henry Rowan
fluoride is an ingredient in rat poison,& highly toxic. It lowers th
sperm count& diminishes our well being. It offends the Spirit of Life
of free choice. The health service would better keep it from all wate
supplies & focus on eliminating the high refined sugar content o
candies & drinks& confectionary which are pushed at children & adult
if they are serious about peoples teeth & health.

Tom Owen
I drank fluoridated water from five gallon water bottles, a
recommended by my dentist. This went on from 1989 until 1995, and i
1995, I was having severe problems with sleeplessness, depression, an
lethargy. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, and have been takin
Levoxyl ever since. My doctor confirmed that the thyroid would uptak
the fluoride (common for the thyroid to uptake these halogens
especially iodine). This essentially rendered my thyroid useless. I
there's any wonder why hypothyroidism is on the increase, it can easil
be attributed to fluoride and other chemicals that pollute the thyroid
Please, please don't put this stuff in drinking water! Thank you.

D.C.
Fluoride has destroyed my teeth...and my bones. ACID fluoride has take
the enmanel off my crowns right down to the metal which has affected m
health terribly! It's costing a fortune to have them replaced...jus
what dentists love! Too spendy to have them ALL replaced so I've ha
some pulled to get a partial. Fluoride has depleted my body of iodin
and calcium and enzymes. I've had thyroid problems and thought I ha
diabetes and gave myself a shot of my dogs insulin because doctor
thought it was ALL in my head. I was twice the maximum limit off th
chart Mercury poisoning because of "ACID" fluoride with amalgams in m
mouth. The lead intake or body burden is higher than that of th
reference population. Calcium is lower than one standard deviatio
below the mean of the reference population and corresponds to the lowe
17% (approximately) of that population. Low Magnesium level. In the Mea
Zone with Zinc Creatinine and copper AND more!! WAKE UP!! FLUORIDE I
POISON!! AND IT DOESN"T TAKE MUCH!! FLUORIDE IS NOT SAFE AND FLUORID
IS NOT EFFECTIVE!"

Igor Bondarenko
What we will certainly get from fluorinated water at least is a
artificial iodine deficiency and, therefore, thyroid gland problems
fluorine displaces iodine from our tissues.

Trevor Maggin DDS
Fluoridation of water supplies is "forced medication" and violate
"informed consent". Fluoride is NOT safe as has been proven in numerou
studies worldwide. What is never mentioned however is the TYPE of
fluoride that is used. Fluorosilic Acid is the most deadly form of
fluoride used in water fluoridation programs, and is linked to
pulmonary fibrosis and so many other diseases too numerous to list
here.

Ali Abbas
I have not looked in detail at the health arguments around
fluoridation, but this issue is also about freedom of choice. If water
supplies are fluoridated, those who can't afford to buy bottled water
or water purifiers are denied the opportunity to choose unfluoridated
water. Why doesn't the Government instead produce a range of bottled
fluoridated water, or water fluoridation kits that people who choose to
drink fluoridated water can use?

john mckay
floride in toothpaste is sufficient and is a personal choice. Mass
medication is forced upon us and is an infringment on our rights. It
would be better to educate people in personal hygiene,especially in
schools and government leaflets to parents.

Susan Miller (USA)
Fluoride is a corrosive and highly toxic poison. Go online and research
it for yourself. You will likely be "HORRIFIED" as I am. The Food and
Drug FDA website lists it as an unapproved new drug. Yet the fluoride
which is added to our water in West Palm Beach is not pharmaceutical
grade. The West Palm Beach Water Department informed me that it is
fluorosilic acid. This is captured in wet scrubbers by the phosphate
fertilizer industry. Fluoride is a key element in the production of the
nuclear bomb. You will hear "hexa fluoride" mentioned on newscasts in
reference to Iran. Also, fluoride is the most reactive element. The
fluoride ion is so small that it passes through the blood brain
barrier. Fluoride readily combines with aluminum. Fluoridated water
which is heated in aluminum cooking utensils picks up aluminum by
1000'% more.

Steve Szmidt
Flouride is illegal to dump in nature, but we should have it our
drinking water? Forget about helping the enamel of your teeth, even if
it did - it weakens bones in your body. Of course many people have
fixed ideas and considerations and are therefore unable to have any
judgement of any kind. You better educate yourself rather than
listening to propaganda. Listen to the very reasons the say it's good
for you. You'll soon see it makes no sense. Simply going by that "they"
would not do it if it was bad for you makes about as listening to a drug
addict on why you should give him drugs. They don't care about you! THE
ONLY WAY YOU WILL KNOW IS TO FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF. It's not hard to
educate yourself on the subject. There's plenty of research work
online.

Anita Knight
The term 'fluoride' is misleading. Fluorine, a halogen gas, is the most
reactive of all the elements and will combine with most all. "High
dietary calcium forms insoluble complexes with fluorides that reduce
fluoride absorpton from the gastrointestinal tract." (National Academy
of Sciences' report for Congress,"Health Effects of Ingested Fluoride",
1993.

James Newbaker
I believe fluoride should be given to those individuals who request it,
in a pharmaceutical grade tablet or topically applied to the tooth
surface. I do not want fluoride in my drinking water.

Comrade 211
Fluoridation is simply the hijacking of the public water supply to mass
medicate unconsenting populations in wildly uncontollable dosages of a
known toxin which bio-accumulates in the body.

Prof. Dr. H.H.Nehrlich
It is preposterous to medicate people without consent. Fluoride is
extremely toxic and is added to water for the sole reason of making
profit from industrial toxic waste. There is evidence of fluoride
causing osteosarcoma (a deadly bone cancer of young males) andothe
illnesses including osteoporosis, thyroid disease and brain damage. I
say SHAME !

Croft Woodruff
When it comes to a public health measure you would at least expect the
additive (fluoride)to be of pharmaceutical grade. But no, it is
industrial waste with a bonus of toxic contaminants. This is why I have
no respect or use for dentists, public health officials, health
bureaucratsand their political masters in government when they promote
fluoridation. How can one believe them on other issues of health? They,
and much of the media, don't bother to investigate fluoride's real
source and all that is in it. Even when these "authorities" are told
the facts it does not seem to sink in. They are either incompetent,
dishonest or both. When questioned they try to trivialize the
issue.They don't understand the meaning of "the death of a thousand
cuts." Good for the BBC to do what few others in the media dare to do -
seek and expose the truth.

Dan Gottlieb
Less than 1% of chemicals used to treat drinking waters as used by
Water Utilities are ever consumed [e.g., swallowed, etc] according to
the American Water Works Assoc. Inversely, 99% of all utilities
'fluoride chemicals' and Capital pounds/dollars spent on the
fluoridation process in England will never reach the mouths of those
intended to receive fluoride. Economic conclusion: So called
'fluoridation' of drinking waters is the Worlds Most COSTLY, WASTEFUL
thus Ineffective 'medicant' Delivery System. An anology: imagine buying
a bottle of 100 Aspirins, taking just one and throwing the rest away
into polluting thousands of Habitats. Common 'economical' Sense demands
Dental Societies and so called government Dental 'experts' be
considerate of TaxPayers, Water Bill Payers and not Waste millions of
dollars over years ineffectively delivering fluoride through COSTS
Unwarranted treated drinking water. Much 'lessor Costs' |Educational
programs along with 'voluntary neighborhood Dental Clinics located in
most cities is far less Costly, and proven elsewhere to be near 100
times more effective!

Joe Thornton
Fluoridation is contrary to various medical principles -- the
Hippocratic oath, the patient's right to refuse medication, modern
pharmacology, etc. Dosing everyone in the population with unmeasured
amounts of one of the most toxic chemicals known to science is sheer
lunacy. There are other considerations, like human rights, ethics, and
common sense. But of course these matter little to the UK government,
especially when it has the backing of Washington and the WHO, which
calls fluoride "an essential nutrient" -- the most blatant lie in an
enormous tissue of lies. By the way, the one and only cause of tooth
decay is sugar, but the government doesn't want to know, nor does it
want you to know.

Bruce Spittle
The scientific evidence does not support fluoridation. Fluoride acts
topically rather than systemically. Swallowing fluoride to prevent
decay is like swallowing sun block to prevent sunburn.

John Graham
Water companies are medicating their customers with florosilicic acid,
a known poison, without invidual consent. There is no indemnity for an
illegal act! Check out a Fox News piece on a prominent Harvard
scientist who is a consultant to major toothpast maker accused of
covering-up a link between fluoride an bone cancer at -
fluoridealert.org

Dr. Paul Connett
For me the most telling point in this debate is the level of fluoride
in mothers' milk. At 0.008 ppm it is miniscule. If nature intended the
new born baby to have fluoride this is where you would expect to find
it. It is not there in any significant amount. This also means that a
bottle fed baby gets over 100 times the level that nature intended. We
don't always know why nature is right but it usually is. She's been at
it far longer than we have. I am particularly concerned about the
impact of fluoride on the baby's developing brain and hormonal systems.

Bill Wilson
Everyone should refuse to allow fluoridation. If you want to use it -
it is readily available without forcing ingestion of toxins on others.

Shirley (nurse)
Scientific research confirms no benefit to developing teeth from
fluoride ingestion, benefit, if any, to developed teeth is minimal.
Risks due to ongoing accumulation of fluoride in the body tissues when
ingested include bone cancer, thyroid supression, arthritic symptoms,
increased fractures, internal enzyme disruptions. The risks come from
ingestion, so why would you put it in the water and force everyone to
ingest and put themselves at risk for such little benefit. It is
readily available in purer form for those who want it. Leave it out!
Let everyone make their own choice.

Philip Robertson
Working as a Naturopath, when children present for treatment with
multiple allergies or with unexpected bone fracture playing netball,
I'm now starting to check their teeth. More often than I'd like, I see
they have fluoride mottled teeth. Could there be a connection? I don't
know. But with my patients getting arthritis and asthma medically
confirmed as caused by fluoridated water, I do know the simple answer.
Stop drinking fluoride, and stop believing what shockingly mis-informed
dental authorities say about it being completely safe.

Emily Ow
Topical application of fluoride toothpaste is a more reasonable way to
allow people the choice of its use. There are unfluoridated
toothpastes, albeit expensive. Note, however, the caution on
fluorideated toothpaste to call the poison control center if the
toothpaste is swallowed. If it is "poison" in the toothpaste, is it not
also "poison" in our drinking supply?? Read the Christopher Bryson book,
The Fluoride Deception, and find out the astounding history of
fluoridated drinking water.

Ralph Little
I don't want anythhing added to my water other than the stuff they add
to make it safe, that goes double for this toxic rubbish. It is proven
that adding it to toothpaste has a reasonable effect, adding it to
water does nothing for the teeth and quite a lot of bad for the rest of
the body!

Stephen Morley
Fluoride is highly toxic industrial waste, the last thing an sane
person would want to drink!

Carolyn Smith
In 1936 the American Dental Assocation said: "Fluorine is a general
protoplasmic poison, but the most important symptoms of chronic
fluorine poisoning known at present are mottling of teeth and
interference with bone formation." Dental and skeletal fluorosis.
Mottled teeth are damaged for life - not what fluoride is intended to
do! When enamel becomes brittle, it also becomes difficult to treat and
the tooth has to be extracted. Go to: www.idof.net - 100 Irish Dentists
opposing fluoridation! The fluoridated EU does not include mainland
Europe. In 2003 the last city to be fluoridated, Basle, ceased the
practice after 41 years saying that no study proved it worked and tooth
decay was increasing in children! (Fluorosis?) No one talks about
fluorosis of the bones, and there were concerns about toxic fluoride
returning to the environment. This is where most wastewater goes plus
its fluoride as treatment does not remove it. Fluoride in the
environment has been likened to PCBs, it is a persistent organic
poison, accumulative, and a recognised pollutant. Why should anyone
want it in their water supply or try to convince others they should
have it? No one has that right.and the medical profession certainly
should be questioned very seriously about their
intentions!Aprescription information sheet says: "This medication is
for you, do not give it to anyone else even if they have the same
symptoms, it may harm them." A poison will harm everyone. Go to:
www.fluoridealert.org/50reasons.htm

Dee
Mass medication with toxic industrial waste...hmmm...sounds like a bad
idea. Increased risk of osteosarcoma in young boys who ingest
fluoridated water...is a child's life worth the possibility of
preventing part of a cavity?

NYSCOF
After 60 years of water fluoridation in the United States, tooth decay
is a national epidemic (and disgrace) while fluoride overdose (dental
fluorosis) occurs in almost 50% of our schoolchildren. I'm sure you
guys get enough fluoride from your tea. Fluoride is neither a nutrient
nor required for healthy teeth. For more info:
www.orgsites.com/ny/nyscof www.FluorideAction.Net 

Bill Hindmarsh
There is no common sense reason to add toxins to something essentially
pure ~ to present this as for health reasons masks the truth. If there
is true concern for everyone's teeth why aren't there enough NH
dentists?

Sarah Swinglehurst
Even the Governments own report the York Review found that not enough
research has been done on the effects of fluoridation.Fluoride has not
been proved safe!Better diets and dental hygiene are the answer.

Doug Tidy
Another scare. You die if you worry,you die if you don't (I am 82).

Alastair Carnegie
Dentists still fill childrens teeth with Mercury Amalgam, Mercury is
known to be toxic, Dentists say it is safe. The NHS York Review is an
excellent recource for anyone interested in Fluoridation. I thoroughly
reccommend reading it, but take care not to read misleading reports of
the York Review findings made by such organisations as the British
Dental Association. Professor Trevor Sheldon Chair of the review wrote
an open letter complaining of the BDA misrepresentations, emphasising
in particular that the N.H.S. York Review did NOT show water
fluoridation to be safe. That single statement makes up my own mind on
this subject. It MUST be proved safe first. IT IS NOT SAFE NOW.

Frank plunkett sheffield against fluoridation
Who has the right.. to give the public the right..to vote in a way
which takes away their nieghbors and familys rights of free choice
away..no one..a free vote will always refuse fluoridation, consultation
= deception and unworthy of use.

Tim HOY
The question one needs to ask is why any government would want to add
this highly toxic poison to our drinking water? The answer I believe is
"where else are they going to dump it?" Elizabeth McDonagh is right.
Harry Erwin however probably believes that irradiating peasant farmers
in Afghanistan with depleted uranium is patriotic. Wake up my loves.

Tom Goodwin
Fluoridation of our water supply ignores the individual's right to
freedom of choice, and the individual dose of fluoride is determined
merely by the thirst of the individual. Athletes, for example drink
several litres of water every day, and canned foods would also contain
it. Moreover, no physician in his right senses would prescribe
medication for a person he has never met and whose medical history he
does not know. Worse still, the fluoridating agent used is not
pharmaceutical grade fluoride, but hexafluorosilicic acid - an
unpurified hazardous toxic waste by-product of the phosphate fertiliser
industry, derived from the pollution scrubber liquor from its factory
chimneys. Nobody in their right mind would want to consume this out of
choice.

Cynthia Bagchi
Fluoride is a poison and is damaging to the body even in small doses.
There is a huge amount of scientific evidence if only people had enough
time to find it and read it. It should be avoided at all cost and
certaily should not be given on mass via the water supply. Are we mad?
I do hope not. Unfortunately so many of our professionals/politicians
and are all just too busy reaching targets to look at the evidence and
do their own research.

Ann Richards
The job of water companies is to supply potable water. It is outrageous
that the public water system should be used to mass medicate an entire
population, particularly with chemicals as controversial as the
silicofluorides.

avril hesson
fluoride is masss medication whether people want it or not.better diets
and better dental care is what's needed!

Mike Williams
Fl is a poison which competes with iodine for uptake in the thyroid. If
a small child ate a tube of toothpaste with Fl in it, the child may die.

Nicola Escott
None of my children have any fillings in their teeth and we have never
lived in areas with fluoridated water. Better dental health education
is the answer - not slowly poisoning people. The scientific literature
pointing to damage to health from fluoridation is very worrying - see
www.fluoridealert.org In countries where fluoridation has been
withdrawn, improvements in dental health have increased indicating that
it was better dental healthcare, not fluoride, that was responsible for
the drop in tooth decay.

Lynn Alford-Burow Dip ION Nutritional Therapist
Fluoride in the body interferes with the working of the thyroid gland.
Many people have underfunctioning thyroids and no energy without
realising their fluoride toothpastes and teflon pans (which release
fluoride into food when heated) can be already overdosing them with
toxic fluoride. An exhausted society doesn't complain too much. People
can get better if we test for fluoride and then replace those items
with non-fluoride. Fluoride causes a disease called dental fluorosis -
nasty brown mottled staining of the teeth - which I have suffered
personally. Hardened teeth are not necessarily healthy teeth - the
whole of the skeleton is also involved and who wants bones that do not
function correctly and become brittle. Avoid fluoride put into the
water at all costs.

Ann Wills
The fluoride added is hexafluorosilicic acid which is a Grade 2 poison
& is more poisonous than lead. It is taken from phosphate fertilizer
factory chimney scrubbers. It is very different to calcium fluoride
which occurs naturally.

Bill
Parents ought to be fined for allowing their children to suffer. A good
diet prevents decay and promotes good health . We are getting too much
fluoride now through other means..

sue mcfarlane (nutritional therapist)
I live in Severn Trent supply area and we already are fluoridated,
without my consent. I use a reverse osmosis unit to filter our
drinking/cooking water. I doesn't remove everything but I believe it
reduces the levels considerably. The water certainly tastes better too.

Douglas Cross
Any chemical used to treat or prevent a disease requires official
licensing. Fluoridated water is an unlicensed medicinal product that
CAN NOT be used without a relevant license. Its administration in
drinking water contravenes European legislation on foods and medicines,
regardless of whether it is effective or safe, neither of which issues
has been adequately researched. Fluoridation is therefore illegal;
promoting its use is a criminal act. It is also a violation of both
medical ethics and human rights.

Adrian Appley
People should be very wary of allowing their water suppies to be
POISONED with fluoride. This is a very dangerous chemical which causes
cancer and many other health problems. Also, it is illegal to pollute
public amenities with such additives. Think very carefully about this,
folks. Adrian Appley.

Joy Warren BSc (Hons)
Fluorides are used by biochemists to test enzyme pathways by denaturing
selected enzymes in vitro. The precautionary principle dictates that we
should avoid consuming fluorides if we are to preserve our complex
metabolic processes. The risks to health and to the environment
outweigh any imaginary benefits.

Ivor Hueting
There is no scientifically impecable evidence that fluoride prevents
decay; excess fluoride causes fluorosis that damages teeth and bones.
Fluoridation is unethical, dangerous, illegal according to EU
directives and unwanted.

Elizabeth McDonagh BSc(Hons)
Fluoride is an insidious cumulative poison and those wanting to put it
in our water ignore all evidence of the harm it causes. It is against
human rights for individuals to be medicated without their informed
consent.

Ros Jones
The evidence that fluoridated water causes fatal bone cancer is so
strong now that even Health Minister Caroline Flint has had to
acknowledge she is monitoring developments in the USA. Is fluoridation
worth even one child's life? And no, Kayla, sorry: fluoridation hasn't
been properly researched!

Kate Boulton
Fluoride builds up in bones and tissues.40% can be passed from mother
to baby. Formula feeds have to be made with fluoridated water and the
baby would be bathed in it.Childhood cancer is rising significantly.No
one knows why?In Birmingham, 4 times the accepted safe level has been
found in the blood of 200 children.

Harry Erwin, PhD
Coming from America, I find the poor quality of dental health in the UK
stunning. Fluoridated water meant that non of my children had cavities
growing up.

Gordon Newton
Why do they always have these important debate's when the majority of
people are at work

George Pescod
We have enough poisons added to drinking water without adding yet
another chemical. Dentists may think it will help against tooth decay,
but what about the effects on peoples health, as in my case ie. Crohns
Disease and Bladder Cancer.

Tony Wakefield
Co Durham has some of the finest tasting water in England. It is great
to drink on it's own it makes the best tea and coffee and probably beer
to. If people want fluoride they can use fluoride in toothpaste. If
people want to avoid tooth decay that is their responsibility, not the
responsibility of the nanny state.

Anthony smith
Flouride is a poison, it only strengthens enamel on contact with the
tooth surface, ingesting it does not strengthen the enamel. Chemicals
added to water must only be done to purify the water, not mass dose us.

SEE ALSO

Latest features
Features

You are in: Wear > Features > Latest features > Fancy fluoride in your
pipes?

HOME
EMAIL
PRINT
TOP SITE CONTENTS

SEE ALSO
Latest features
Features
On the rest of the web
National Pure Water Assoc
British Fluoridation Soc
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites

Vote  

Would you be happy with fluoride in your tap water?  

Fluoride is correct.

<snip>