Dr Robert Verkerk briefs Truth Juice campaigners

Governments who support fluoridation always seem surprised when they find the public are not happy having a waste product of the fertilizer industry put into their drinking water. Especially when they know that governments who sanction this ‘public health measure’ know full well that it harms young children, the very group it’s intended to help.

At the Truth Juice meeting in Birmingham earlier this week, to which Rob Verkerk (ANH-Intl’s executive and scientific director) was asked to present, a fired-up audience discovered a fact that was hard to swallow. The European Commission was informed by one of its own committees, that drinking water fluoridation would likely cause any child under 6 who consumed over a litre of water to exceed the EU’s safe level if they also used fluoridated toothpaste. If they were to use non-fluoridated toothpaste, they would still exceed it if they consumed just half a litre more, a typical amount if you take into account cooking needs.

The meeting was also supported by West Midlands Against Fluoride - (WMAF) and water quality campaigner Joy Warren, who represent many angry residents, who have vowed to pull the plug on fluoridated water.

Rob Verkerk’s short video commentary

Check out Rob’s short video commentary on the issue and then get involved in any way you think will make a difference. Please help to get this poison out of the water supply.

 

Anti-fluoridation petitions defended successfully in the European Parliament

Meanwhile, two petitions which were set up to call for an investigation and a health impact assessment (published in 2011 as the SCHER opinion) respectively over the addition of fluoride to Irish and UK drinking water have been successfully defended again in the European Parliament. This means they can remain ‘open’, awaiting further response from the European Commission, which signals some hope for affected Irish and UK citizens. Anti-fluoridation campaigner Robert Pocock submitted the Irish petition in July 2007.

Irish campaign pressure continues

Pocock takes issue with the fact that hydrofluorosilicic acid is unauthorised in the EU, and is calling for enforcement of the 'infringed' Directives by the Commission. He says "The prime and sole reason for adding fluorosilicates is the medicinal reason of preventing dental caries and the key infringment in the EU, as backed up by copious case law, is of the Medicinal Products Directive which we want the Commission to take urgent action on". The Irish and UK regulators use the excuse for the non-regulation of fluorosilicates as medicinal products that fluoridated water is 'a food'. However, the Food Fortification Regulation(1925/2006) does not permit fluorosilicates either, since they are not on the positive list of permitted food additives (or supplements either) and therefore prohibited for ingestion.

The majority of the Irish population resides in fluoridated communities. Young children easily exceed the fluoride upper limit by drinking less than half a litre of water daily, and are at risk of dental and bone fluorosis.

After losing a three-year battle, angry residents in Southampton, UK, have been told to expect fluoridation of their water supply too, despite increasing evidence of the dangers of the practice.

Further information and campaigns

ANH-Europe Clean Drinking Water campaign

West Midlands Against Fluoridation

Ireland Against Fluoridation

UK Councils against Fluoridation

Hampshire Against Fluoridation