The campaign in Hampshire continues - here is one of their latest news releases - a couple of Gloucestershire campaigners are set to join them in Hampshire in the coming week - see more re their campaign here:Whilst Southampton debates whether to add fluoride to our drinking water supply, it is interesting to note votes in the USA on the subject, which were somewhat overshadowed by the Presidential election. 53 communities, with a combined population of 244,438, rejected adding fluoride to their public drinking water in the November 4, 2008, election referenda. This comes on top of the rejection of water fluoridation earlier this year by Quebec, a city that had been fluoridated for thirty years.
Meanwhile countries that have fluoridated at 1 part per million (the level proposed for Southampton) have been pulling back from that level, saying that it is too high. Canada and Ireland have both reduced the level where they fluoridate to 0.7 ppm, and Hong Kong now says 0.5 ppm is a safer level.
As Professor Paul Connett said: “Once again we have seen confirmed - from Maine to Nebraska - that when and where citizens are given free choice on this matter and they organize, the overwhelming majority of towns reject fluoridation. On November 4, in an historic presidential election year, 79% of communities with referenda voted to keep fluoride out of their water.
To put it another way, the only way governments can keep fluoridation going is to take away (e.g. Australia) or circumvent (e.g. UK) the right of citizens to choose what medicine they take. Such an approach sabotages both our human and democratic rights.”
John Spottiswoode, Chairperson of Hampshire Against Fluoridation said: “When across the world people are saying that fluoridation of water should be reduced or scrapped completely, why on earth are people in Southampton trying to force everyone to drink this toxic chemical? Where there is such strong scientific evidence of harm from fluoride it is incredible that any responsible person should seriously consider adding it to our water. It is unsafe and unethical.”
Notes for Editors:
1. The detailed statistics on the votes can be found at: http://fluoridealert.org/11-4-08.html
