I welcome the opportunity to rattle the cage of complacency in relation to the fluoridation of water which is a national scandal. We should bring our legislation into line with the rest of Europe and stop the compulsory mass medication of our people with the notorious poison fluoride.
Water fluoridation came into effect in Ireland following the failure of an appeal to the Supreme Court against the Health (Fluoridation of Water Supplies) Act, 1960. This is probably the only democracy in the world that forces fluoride on its citizens by law. Irish people are probably ingesting more artificial fluoride than any other people on earth. Fluoride is extremely toxic; it is more toxic than lead. It is suspected of causing thyroid problems, stomach problems, drowsiness and listlessness. It is also suspected of causing infertility and birth defects in farm animals. To remove fluoride from water the water must be distilled.
It is time to stop this crazy experiment with our health. It cannot be lawful for a state to poison its own people. We have ample evidence that fluoridation is damaging our health. Fluorosis — the discolouring of teeth — is the first manifestation of fluoride poisoning. There has been evidence for several years that Irish children have a high rate of fluorosis. The only argument in favour of fluoridation is that it may reduce the amount of tooth decay in children. There is evidence for and against this. Continental European children's teeth are not significantly worse than our children's teeth. No continental EU country fluoridates its water, except for a few districts in Spain. Do the people of Germany, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, France, Italy, Belgium, Portugal, Finland, Austria, Greece and Norway know something we do not?
Fewer than 2 per cent of EU citizens have to drink fluoridated water. However, 73 per cent of our drinking water is fluoridated. In the UK approximately 10 per cent of water supplies are fluoridated and there is strong public resistance to it. In Northern Ireland only the Maze Prison and the small districts of Holywood and Tandragee have fluoridated water. The British Government wants to impose fluoridation throughout Northern Ireland, although 25 of the 26 district councils and most of the leading politicians are against it.
Nobody has proved that low level dosing with fluoride is safe. The one part per million level enshrined in our law was never scientifically established. In any case, nobody knows with how much fluoride Irish people are being dosed. It is deliberately added to our water, toothpaste, mouthwashes, some food products and many other products. Since water fluoridation started in the 1960s, several thousand tonnes of fluoride have been dispersed throughout the public water supplies alone. The fluoride molecule is so small that it passes through all ordinary water filters. Unfortunately, it does not pass through the body — 40 per cent of the fluoride swallowed is retained. More than one tonne of fluoride is dispersed in our public water supplies every day. Approximately 99.5 per cent of it does not go for its intended purpose — down our throats. Nearly all that fluoride is effectively dumped into our environment, without any environmental audit or research into the effects. The latest Environmental Protection Agency report on Irish drinking water said "Fluoride is still frequently in excess." Three point three per cent of samples exceeded the maximum permissible dose. The fluoride added to our water is toxic waste from the super-phosphate fertiliser industry. It is collected from the scrubber of the factory chimneys. Instead of being safely disposed of, it is dispersed in our drinking water.
If I want fluoride, I can find it in toothpaste and many other sources. In Ireland, fluoride is forced down our throats. Most of us, except those able to afford natural mineral water, have to drink this poison morning, noon and night. Is it unlawful for the health authorities and local authorities to have water fluoridation for the sake of public safety? German MEP Hiltrud Breyer said recently "Fluoridation should be stopped. The practice of fluoridation is mass medication. We would never allow it in Germany. It may be possible to take it to the European Court."
The civil liberties aspect of this issue needs to be addressed. Do I not have the right to avoid drinking this? Clearly, the risk of water fluoridation outweighs the benefit. I am asking for our legislation to be brought into line with the rest of Europe and have a stop put to the compulsory mass medication of our people with what is effectively a poison called fluoride.
