A personal view from one of our Safe Water Campaign members:Vic of Bristol's on-line comment on Dawn Primarolo's declared anger with respect to all MP's (without exception) being targeted in the expenses revelations, makes a good number of points. In addition to his list of one-size-fits-all comparisons, I would have added: Indiscriminate medication for all - via fluoride - without consent or prescription because some (only some) children have dodgy teeth.
Well, we can forget that one now because the European Court of Justice has said STOP. Fluoride and food products (like 'functional health drinks') made with artificially fluoridated water are to be classified as 'medicinals' and thus subject to the rigorous testing common to all other prescription and retail drug products. Since that re-classification also includes the mains water 'topped-up' with industrial fluorides, it means that all fluoridation schemes, including those going back beyond 1964, in the UK and Southern Ireland must be shut down.
There are serious trade implications involved. Fluoride-water-processed food and drink products normally imported from fluoridating countries like South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and even Canada and the USA will be banned from the EU unless they can pass the 'medicinals' licensing requirements.
The ECJ ruling was dated 2005, so our largely pro-European Government has been illegally witholding key information likely to upset existing trading agreements. Our food and drink exports would be up for censure; possibly banned completely in all other EU member states. Water suppliers would then become targeted by business interests for agreeing to fluoridate at the behest of health authorities regardless of public opinion and the law which says they must not.
Who's head will roll over this dilemma? Perhaps Dawn should get together with all her Bristol pro-fluoride Labour colleagues to decide which of them will be the 'whipping boy'. The water supply companies meanwhile, need to reconsider their potential liability and public relations positions very carefully.
Bernard J Seward
Bristol
