Letter: fluoride reportfailed to answer basicquestions on chemical

I read your unscientific article on fluoride with interest. It failed to answer the basic questions on fluoridation that were raised in Northern Ireland when our councils heard this issue. Northern Ireland had a three month consultation period in 1996, with the result that 25 out of 26 Councils and the four Area Health & Social Services Councils all voted against water fluoridation after hearing both sides of the argument. Our Councils voted against for the following reasons: A) It is a breech of your freedom to choose what drug you do or do not take. B) 98% of Europe had banned or rejected fluoridation. C) No government representative could explain how it affected teeth only, when it had access to every cell of your body. D) 99.9% would be lost in underground leaks, waste water and flushing toilets, thereby wasting millions of pounds. E) The dose could not be controlled as it would be in all food and drink manufactured using the water, also it is in dental products, pesticides, herbicides, unleaded petrol fumes, coal burning fumes, other drugs like Prozac, Rohipnol, CFCs, etc. I was elected as the PR & Information Officer for the Councils of Northern Ireland who voted against. To this day Northern Ireland remains fluoride free like the 98% of Europe. The author never tackles the reason why Europe have banned in law or rejected mass-medication of their populations. It should be pointed out that 97% of the world population do NOT drink artificially fluoridated water. Israels High Court has just banned water fluoridation and it has been recently stopped in Calgary & Windsor in Canada, Queensland Australia has ended mandatory fluoridation and Austin Texas, as well as Portland Oregon voted it out. There are a large and growing number of published peer reviewed studies linking fluoride consumption to various illnesses. These studies can be viewed on line at: www.fluoridealert.org. I was present at a meeting on Oct. 26, 1998 with Tessa Jowel the British Health Minister in London. Also present was Dr. A.K.Susheela, a professor of chemistry, from India. Who had 100 published peer reviewed studies in her own name proving harm to humans from fluoride at similar levels as those used in the Republics’ water supply. (Her studies are also freely available on line.) After her presentation Britain has remained only 10% fluoridated, with Scotlands Assembly voting against fluoridation.

Yours sincerely,

Walter Graham

PR & Information Officer

Northern Ireland Councils Against Fluoridation