Disturbing news from Labour

Sent by a supporter: Please add this to our blog: Sun on Sunday, Dec 14th. On page 2 there was a short article entitled "Fluoride promise".  It read:  'Labour will make adding fluoride to tap water a priority if it wins power, Andy Burnham has vowed. The shadow health secretary said "We need to be bolder on health and to my mind that includes water fluoridation.  It is a simple way to improve health of children. There is no evidence it damages health."

No plans to implement Southampton Water Fluoridation Scheme

We've just heard!!!! Fantastic news - congrats to all who have campaigned on this issue. The evidence just does not stack up - fluoridation is not the way to deal with tooth decay. This win means that any plans to fluoridate our water can and will be stopped.

Public Health England (PHE) will take no further action to implement a proposed water fluoridation scheme that would have served around 160,000 Southampton residents and a further 35,000 people in neighbouring parts of south west Hampshire.

PHE endorses the efficacy and safety of water fluoridation in reducing children’s tooth decay but does not wish to proceed without the backing of Southampton City Council, the local authority where most of those who would benefit from fluoridation live. Both Hampshire County Council and Southampton City Council oppose the scheme.

PHE chief executive Duncan Selbie explained: “Water fluoridation would make a big difference to the dental health of Southampton children, particularly those in the most socially deprived areas.  We regret having to drop the scheme, but we believe it is the right decision in the circumstances.”

“We want to work with Southampton City Council to tackle Southampton’s high rates of tooth decay. We have offered support to the Council in coming up with plans to reduce tooth decay among local children.”

Israel ends fluoridation

Paul Connett, PhD of the Director, Fluoride Action Network reports the following good news:

Just occasionally during the long sordid history of fluoridation an individual stands up against the bullying tactics of the arrogant promoters of fluoridation. This has just happened in Israel where the Minister of Health Yael German has ended fluoridation in Israel despite the vocal and vociferous attacks of fluoridation promoters which have been gleefully - and one-sidedly - reported in The Jerusalem Post. Doubtless these ill-informed critics will continue their bullying tactics and do everything they can to encourage dentists and doctors outside Israel to join their ignorant outcry. However, before the latter do so they should read carefully the letter below written to the Health Minister by Dr. Hardy Limeback, one of Canada's leading dental researchers and former head of Preventive Dentistry at the University of Toronto.  You can also see FAN’s open letter to Minister German sent on June 25, supporting her opposition to fluoridation and signed by many professionals from around the world.  We congratulate the Israeli Minister of Health, Yael German, for performing her job with integrity while under great pressure. She has offered the international public health community the model to follow on the fluoridation issue.

Sign 38 degrees petition to stop any roll out of fluoride in our drinking water

Please consider signing this petition:
http://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/we-do-not-consent-to-the-roll-out-of-flouride-in-our-drinking-water

Guardian poll still open

Please consider voting no in the Guardian poll (in right hand column): http://www.theguardian.com/uk/commentisfree

Update 29th March: The Guardian  poll is now closed – although you can still comment.

The final vote was 63% No, 37 yes – a big  shift from  53/47 on Wednesday night.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/poll/2014/mar/26/fluoride-drinking-water-public-health?commentpage=2
There were 423 comments

The Mail-online is also now closed  for comment – there were 197 comments;
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2589561/Smile-Fluoride-tap-water-IS-safe-afterall-claim-scientists-IMPROVE-dental-health.html

Around 80% of the comments were anti-fluoridation and there were  a number of very thoughtful  and detailed cases, particularly on the Guardian site.

The battle begins again.....

Disturbing to see fluoridation is back on the agenda - Sue Gregory, Public Health England's director of dental public health is reported by BBC and others claiming a new study shows reduced tooth decay - see BBC report yesterday here. Yet to fluoridate our water is basically mass medication - the fluoride added is a by product of industry and not at all the same as naturally occurring fluoride - all other countries are retreating from fluoride - only parts of Spain in mainland Europe has similar levels of fluoridation....many of us opposing fluoridation are also not convinced by the studies showing no health effects - indeed there are many also showing the impact of fluoride.

New website with info about water fluoridation

A new campaign website has been established with more info re fluoridation - we've not had the chance to review it yet but it looks interesting. See the new site at: http://safewaterinformation.org/