24th March 2024
North-East residents probably won’t want to become fluoridated. The Public consultation questions relate to (1) concerns about negative health impacts of water fluoridation, concerns about (2) the environment, (3)ethics and (4) “others”.
Because we are opposed to fluoridation, we have not spent time sourcing information on the issues which are used by proponents to sponsor fluoridation. These issues are listed in the PC questionnaire as reducing tooth decay, reducing the number of dental treatments such as tooth extractions or fillings, reducing oral health inequalities, reducing costs to the ‘NHS, and improving other health outcomes. We would be hard-pressed, even if we attempted doing so, to find any evidence to shore up these aspirations.
In the following table we have added the 19 reasons listed in the flyer why we object (Column 1) followed with the reason why these objections are valid. In order to aid completion of the questionnaire, we have added references to relevant research.
| Objections and Concerns | References/Citations | |
| 1 | Drinking water is compulsory unlicensed medicinal water | British Standard 12175:2022, p.19. “Function: hexafluorosilicic acid is used for the fluoridation of drinking water to increase the resistance of consumers to dental decay.” Thus, fluoridated water is a prophylactic mediciner Shaw, D. (2012). Weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth: The legal fiction of water fluoridation. Sage Publications. McCormick, P. (2021). Opinion on the legal status of Water Fluoridation. |
| 2 | Those with mental capacity cannot be forced to drink compulsory medicine. | Mental Capacity Act 2005, s2, which implies that all those who are not assessed as lacking mental capacity are persons with mental capacity. That’s the majority of people living in an area. Nor can Public Health Consultants urge for the passing of Regulations which require persons to undergo medical treatment. Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984: Power to make regulations |
| 3 | Non-consensual compulsory medicine violates your human rights. | The failure of the UK Government to ask individuals for their consent is the most important concerning aspect of water fluoridation policy. Compulsory medicine should never be forced on an entire population, let alone on an individual. WF policy completely ignores our rights as individuals. This flies in the face of several Directives, Codes and Laws. The UK Government has tried to get away with fluoridating us because they think that they can insist that fluoridated water is not medicine. The definition in BSEN 12175:2022, p. 19, Function, counteracts this assertion as does the essay by David Shaw (see above at 1.) and the opinion of Paul McCormick (see above at 1). Human Rights Act, 1998, Annex A, Article 3: “No one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” It is degrading to be forced to drink compulsory medicine. Are there any other examples of compulsory medicine enforced by the state? There are possibly some in communist countries but we are a democracy and such things should NOT happen here. |
| 4 | The dose is uncontrolled. Cont’d The dose is uncontrolled. |
Drink as much as you like! Labels on medicines instruct dosage and when to take the medicine. Medicinal water, however, can be taken freely and whenever without limit, even though the active substance is a bioaccumulative toxin. We don’t see anyone urging the free ingestion of lead or arsenic. Both are toxins and so too is fluoride. In fact, fluoride is a presumed developmental neurotoxin. David Ball in this thought-provoking review, the mechanism of fluoride’s toxicity is described. Toxicity depends not only on the concentration per dose of fluoride but on the individual organism’s response to the toxin. If the dose is uncontrolled, there could be a wide range of exposure across populations. In particular, the foetus and infant are over-exposed. “In setting national standards or local guidelines for fluoride or in evaluating the possible health consequences of exposure to fluoride, it is essential to consider the average daily intake of water by the population of interest and the intake of fluoride from other sources (e.g. from food and air). Where the intakes are likely to approach, or be greater than, 6 mg/day, it would be appropriate to consider setting a standard or local guideline at a concentration lower than 1.5 mg/l.” Surely, before any new WF programmes are proposed, the DHSC should have conducted a survey of a fluoridated population to establish current levels of exposure by individuals in that population? Not to do implies great negligence by our politicians and civil servants. They should start with gauging the level of daily exposure from habitually drinking mugs of low quality tea. The UK Government has not performed due diligence because that would mean an inconvenient change in the WIA 1991 if it was determined that 1mg f/litre plus adventitious contamination was bringing us perilously close to or over the maximum daily intake. Other countries (USA, New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong and Ireland) have reduced the concentration/litre but they didn’t have to worry about jumping over the regulatory hurdle. |
| 5 | Everyone, large or small, drinks the same concentration. See also item 20 | Why should infants drink the same concentration as adults. This doesn’t happen when infants are prescribed a pharmaceutical drug: the concentration is far smaller than the concentration of the same medicine for an adult. Since we’ve established that fluoride is a medicine and that the water to which it is added is a medicine, a baby at 6 months with a smaller body and less well-developed kidneys is perilously close to ingesting the same amount of medicinal fluoride as a teenager. Cross D.W. and R.J. Carton. (2003) Fluoridation: “A violation of medical ethics and human rights.” International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, January-March 2003, Vol. 9(1):24-9. https://fluoridealert.org/studytracker/17207 LINK TO UPLOADED FILE |
| 6 | Vulnerable people are often sensitised to fluoride. | “The fluoride goes to everyone regardless of age, health or vulnerability”. According to Dr. Arvid Carlsson, the 2000 Nobel Laureate in Medicine and Physiology and one of the scientists who helped keep fluoridation out of Sweden: “Water fluoridation goes against leading principles of pharmacotherapy, which is progressing from a stereotyped medication – of the type 1 tablet 3 times a day — to a much more individualized therapy as regards both dosage and selection of drugs. The addition of drugs to the drinking water means exactly the opposite of an individualized therapy” (Carlsson 1978). Griess, C. (2023). Something in the Water. pp. 1-2. https://fluoridealert.org/wp-content/uploads/Something-in-the-Water-Introduction-Chapter.pdf |
| 7 | Fluoride is an enzyme disruptor. | It’s drunk 24/7 for every year lived in a fluoridated area. Sumner, J.B. (1950s) Quote about killed enzymes and fluoride. https://fluoridealert.org/articles/fluoride-biochemistry/ : “We ought to go slowly. Everybody knows fluorine and fluorides are very poisonous substances and we use them in enzyme chemistry to poison enzymes, those vital agents in the body. That is the reason things are poisoned, because the enzymes are poisoned and that is why animals and plants die.” |
| 8 | Medical ethics: GPs must review prescriptions. Compulsory medicine should be no different. | “A structured medication review is a confidential consultation carried out by your GP, or a pharmacist or advanced nurse practitioner from your local primary care network, with full medical notes. The objective is to reach an agreement with you about your medicines, optimise the impact of the medicines you’re taking, reduce the number of problems you might be having with them, and reduce waste. They also give you the opportunity to raise any worries, thoughts or suggestions you might have about your prescribed treatments. “ Pharmacy2U, What is a Medication Review? https://www.pharmacy2u.co.uk/health-hub/health-advice/medicines-and-prescriptions/prescriptions/what-is-a-medication-review |
| 9 | Over-exposure: there is fluoride from many sources. | Fluoride is widespread in our environment. Britain is a nation of tea drinkers but tea leaves contain a significant amount of fluoride! With 4 mugs of a cheaper brand of tea per day made with fluoridated water, an individual is brought perilously close to over-exposure. See the list of sources of fluoride – Resources Tab A-O in www.ukfffa.org.uk , Over-Exposure to Fluoride See also the list of teas containing fluoride – Resources Tab A-O in www.ukfffa.org.uk , Fluoridated Liquids Database See also Fluoride Action Network Sources of Fluoride: https://fluoridealert.org/issues/sources/ |
| 10 | The medicine is hazardous industrial waste. | Contaminants are not removed before Hexafluorosilicic acid is added to our drinking water. The road tanker comes with a certificate of conformity but contains sparse details. We have to assume that the producers supply the Certificate. Analysing the contents of Hexafluorosilicic acid is difficult if the analytical laboratory is not previously aware of the names of the elements present in the acid. Bryson, Christopher. (2004). The Fluoride Deception. New York: Seven Stories Press, 2004. Zelko, F. https://origins.osu.edu/article/toxic-treatment-fluorides-transformation-industrial-waste-public-health-miracle?language_content_entity=en |
| 11 | Fluoride is not an essential nutrient. Fluoride deficiency does not exist. | “Fluoride is not essential for human growth and development.” European Commission. 2011. Critical review of any new evidence on the hazard profile, health effects, and human exposure to fluoride and the fluoridating agents of drinking water. Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks (SCHER), page 4. Cheng KK, et al. 2007. Adding fluoride to water supplies. British Medical Journal 335:699-702. “Fluoride is not in any natural human metabolic pathway.” |
| 12 | Fluoride is a permanent and non-reversible brain-damaging neurotoxin leading to reduced IQ of the foetus and infant. | “Residents would be forced to take part in “the baby brain damage lottery” The extent of IQ reduction and brain damage would depend on how aware the parents are of other sources of fluoride in their environment and take steps to reduce the exposure.” Grandjean, et al. in National Toxicology Program (2023). Fluoride: Potential Developmental Toxicity. https://fluoridealert.org/researchers/the-national-toxicology-program/ |
| 13 | Fluoride causes an almost double increase in hypothyroidism. Cont’d Fluoride causes an almost double increase in hypothyroidism. | A piece of research in 2015 in England found an almost double the number of diagnoses of hypothyroidism in fluoridated Birmingham compared to non-fluoridated Greater Manchester. For England as a whole, there was 30% more hypothyroidism in fluoridated England compared to non-fluoridated England. Fluoride is antagonistic to iodide which is essential for thyroid and endocrine health. “In many areas of the world, hypothyroidism is a major health concern and in addition to other factors—such as iodine deficiency—fluoride exposure should be considered as a contributing factor. The findings of the study raise particular concerns about the validity of community fluoridation as a safe public health measure.” Peckham, S., D. Lowery and S. Spencer (2015). “Are fluoride levels in drinking water associated with hypothyroidism prevalence in England? A large observational study of GP practice data and fluoride levels in drinking water.” J. Epedemiol Community Health 2015; 0: 1-6 https://fluoridealert.org/wp-content/uploads/peckham-2015.pdf and https://kar.kent.ac.uk/47338/7/Revised-Fluoride-and-hypothyroidism-jan15-final.pdf |
| 14 | Hip fractures are doubled in fluoridated areas. | Fluoride accumulates in bones. Although bone material is rendered denser when fluoride bio-accumulates in them, fluoride is not a dormant substance. When in bone cells, fluoride reduces the activity of osteoclasts which are responsible for clearing away dead and dying bone cells but increases the activity of osteoblasts which are responsible for making new bone cells. The result is that bone cells are packed more densely. However, fluoride also disrupts the activity of bone collagen which makes bone material resilient to sudden shocks and stress. The result of fluoride’s interference is that bones break more easily. The 2022 DHSC Health Monitoring Report on Fluoride and Health inexplicably failed to reference or analyse Helte et al’s 2021 study even though the study was published in the previous year. Researchers should always search for relevant literature to discover recent findings. A professional researcher always performs a literature search. Since this did not occur, we have grave doubts about the validity of the rest of the Monitoring Report. Who were the researchers who wrote the Monitoring Report and what were their qualifications and experience? Helte, E., et. al. (2021). Fluoride in Drinking Water, Diet, and Urine in Relation to Bone Mineral Density and Fracture Incidence in Postmenopausal Women. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP7404l. 129, No. 4 Research Open Access |
| 15 | A systematic review concludes that fluoride is a cause of Diabetes II. | Pain, G. (2018). Fluoride Causes Diabetes 2018 Update. A Systematic Review. Published on Researchgate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328249196_Fluoride_Causes_Diabetes_2018_Update |
| 16 | Swallowed fluoride is NOT cost-effective at reducing dental decay. | Fluoride Alert Network (2024). Virtually no dental benefit from fluoridation: Massive new Government-funded study of England. A summary of the LOTUS and CATFISH studies. 16th Feb. 2024 . https://fluoridealert.org/articles/virtually-no-dental-benefit-from-fluoridation-massive-new-government-funded-study-of-england/ |
| 17 | Four UK-based studies 2000 – 2023 found no proof that swallowed fluoride reduces oral health inequalities across social groups. | The York Review (2000) and the Cochrane Collaboration (2015) were two systematic reviews which found no reduction in oral health inequalities. Their conclusions have been collated and are filed in https://ukfffa.org.uk/oral-health-inequalities. The CATFISH researchers could find no evidence either. “In both cohorts, we could find no strong evidence that WF reduces dental health inequalities.” In the Conclusions of Goodwin M, R. Emsley and R, Kelly et al. (2022). Evaluation of water fluoridation scheme in Cumbria: the CATFISH prospective longitudinal cohort study. Southampton (UK): National Institute for Health and Care Research; 2022 Nov. Public Health Research, No. 10.11. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK586983/ . The LOTUS researchers could also find no evidence: “The research team found no compelling evidence that water fluoridation reduced social inequalities in dental health, and the numbers of missing teeth between the groups were the same.”. Moore, D. et. al. (2024) . The LOTUS Study: Fluoridation for Adults. https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/lotus/#results |
| 18 | 98% of Europe does not fluoridate its drinking water. | The very short list of fluoridated European countries includes Ireland and possibly small areas of Poland and Serbia. Ireland is fluoridated mandatorily with no chance of dissent unless the Irish law is changed. We have confirmation from sworn testimony in a Court of Law in San Francisco in 2024 that Spain stopped fluoridating this century although we have seen no written proof. Many European countries have refused to begin fluoridating their citizens and one or two stopped the practice some decades ago. |
| 19 | 50% of the added fluoride reaches our dying rivers. The EU describes fluorides as dangerous substances in the aquatic environment. | EU Directive 2006/11/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 February 2006 on pollution caused by certain dangerous substances discharged into the aquatic environment of the Community. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudr/2006/11/contents# Fluorides are listed in Annex 1, List 2(7). |
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