The Green Party has slated controversial plans to fluoridate water supplies, claiming that there are many significant questions over fluoride's safety and effectiveness.
Following government bidding, health chiefs around the country are currently deciding whether to adopt fluoridation as their preferred route to reducing tooth decay in children - a move described as "dangerously unscientific nonsense" by fluoride's opponents.
Leading Green Party commentator on fluoridation, John Spottiswoode (1) said:
"The case for fluoride has been far from made. Claims about the effectiveness of fluoride simply do not stand up to close scrutiny and there is growing evidence pointing towards fluoride causing bone problems, arthritic-like symptoms, brain diseases such as Alzheimer's, hypothyroidism, as well as identified links to cancer and other diseases. (2)
"Fluoride is a class 2 poison, it is extremely biochemically reactive in the body and only marginally less poisonous than arsenic. It also makes bones more brittle and has led to a marked increase in dental fluorosis (fluoride poisoning), affecting up to 48% of people in fluoridated areas. You should look in the mirror. If you have white flecks in your teeth then you could well have fluoride poisoning, and that is a potential health risk. If fluoride poisoning is showing in your teeth, then it is like the tip of a toxic fluoride iceberg in many of your body's bones and organs.
"Those who deny that there are fluoride dangers either are ignoring the huge volume of research, or trying to dismiss it. However even the basic laws of chemistry tell us that fluorides will be highly reactive and damaging in our bodies. Either the pro-fluoridation people must accept the logic of chemistry's laws, or they must re-write the chemistry books.
"Besides the reality of negative health effects, there is also the issue of medical ethics. Fluoridating water is essentially medicating people without their permission. It also violates a number of bills and legislation designed to protect health and human rights, and may be illegal. (3)
"Britain is all but alone in that most of Western Europe has now abandoned fluoridation of water due to a lack of evidence as to its effectiveness and concerns about major side-effects. 98% of Europe is now free of fluoridated water.
"Poor dental health is a complex public health issue. The root causes are poor diet and inadequate dental hygiene. Typically the government seems more concerned with dangerous knee-jerk action, to be seen to be doing 'something', rather than confronting the real causes of the problem."
Article contributed by the Fluoride Action Network. Original article available at Fluoride Action Network
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