Published in Meath Chronicle 22/10/2013
We drink it every day without a moment´s thought but the Irish state has been dosing our tap water with chemical fluoride for decades. Back in the 1960s, some scientists believed that by adding fluoride to drinking water they could reduce tooth decay. However, there is a growing controversy that this medication of the Irish population, whether we want it or not, is outdated and dangerous. After all fluoride is a toxic substance, found in rat poison and pesticides. The Food and Drug Administration recognised its toxicity in 1997 when it required by law that all fluoride toothpastes in the United States carry a poison warning – "If you accidentally swallow more than used for brushing, seek professional help or contact a poison control center immediately".
We drink it every day without a moment´s thought but the Irish state has been dosing our tap water with chemical fluoride for decades. Back in the 1960s, some scientists believed that by adding fluoride to drinking water they could reduce tooth decay. However, there is a growing controversy that this medication of the Irish population, whether we want it or not, is outdated and dangerous. After all fluoride is a toxic substance, found in rat poison and pesticides. The Food and Drug Administration recognised its toxicity in 1997 when it required by law that all fluoride toothpastes in the United States carry a poison warning – "If you accidentally swallow more than used for brushing, seek professional help or contact a poison control center immediately".
Government dentists contend that the levels of
fluoride in our drinking water are so low that there is no risk of poisoning.
But how do you control such levels when you are prescribing a medicine by
thirst? Before I prescribe a medication for a patient, I know the patient's age,
their medical history, and whether they have an allergy or not. All this
information is taken into consideration before writing a prescription. In water
fluoridation, you know nothing about the patient, whether they are taking other
drugs, nor if there is an underlying medical condition, and very importantly, you´ve
no idea whether that individual is allergic to fluoride or not.
In fact, not only do the government not know this information,
they don´t care! Section 6 of the Health Act 1960 that allows fluoride in our
water also required successive health ministers to carry out health studies. In
nearly fifty years, not one study has been completed. In light of the
scientific controversy linking water fluoridation to serious health conditions
such as bone cancer, hip fracture, irritable bowel syndrome and decreased IQ in
children, Micheál Martin set up the Fluoridation Forum in 2000. Unfortunately,
it was a wasted opportunity made up with the same government dentists who have built
their careers on fluoride. The only positive aspect was the involvement of the
Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) who studied the fluoride intake of
bottle-feeding infants. Due to their small body weight, infants consuming tap
water in their feeds were receiving up to seven times the safe limit for
fluoride; and even more shockingly 200 times the levels found in breast milk.
The FSAI concluded, “the precautionary
principle should apply and recommends that infant formula should not be
reconstituted with fluoridated tap water”. This was the end of fluoridation in
Ireland; either breastfeed or buy bottled water to feed your newborns, the
prescription by thirst would be fluoride´s final downfall. But the report never
saw the light of day. Realising the significance for fluoridation, the
government forum buried the report. And next year, the same government will fix
meters to our taps, they will expect us to pay to be poisoned by fluoride, as if we haven´t paid enough over the last 49 years.
Dr. Don Mac Auley.
Dr. Don Mac Auley.