East Lancs health bosses to consider adding fluoride to water supplies (From Lancashire Telegraph)

East Lancs health bosses to consider adding fluoride to water supplies

3:42pm Thursday 31st July 2008 in

By Nafeesa Shan » Reporter

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HEALTH bosses are set to decide in September whether to back plans to add fluoride to the water supply in East Lancashire.

A report by the North West Fluoridation Evaluation Group is calling on all 24 PCTs in the North West to add fluoride into the water supply at a cost of more than £102m.

The report has revealed that 63 per cent of five-year-olds in the area covered by Blackburn with Darwen Primary Care Trust suffered from tooth decay, and on average 3.21 of their teeth were decayed, missing or filled.

East Lancashire PCT faired average in the report where 2.13 teeth were decayed, missing or filled in five year olds and 47 per cent affected by tooth decay.

The trusts will consider the issue in September after looking at evidence put together by a joint meeting of representatives from PCTs across the North West.

They will then decide if they want to ask the Strategic Health Authority (SHA) to explore the possibility of water fluoridation.

The SHA is the body that would decide whether or not to have water fluoridation and such a move would only happen following a widespread public consultation.

East Lancashire PCT chief executive David Peat said: “Water fluoridation is one possible intervention to improve dental health but there is a lot to consider. We will reflect on the evidence from the joint committee in the light of our oral health strategy and decide whether we wish to consider the matter further.

A spokesperson for Blackburn with Darwen PCT, also known as NHS Blackburn with Darwen, said: “The North West Strategic Health Authority (SHA) has asked NHS Blackburn with Darwen to indicate whether or not we wish this possibility to be explored.

“The PCT Board is expected to consider this issue in September and will then indicate to the SHA whether or not we wish it to develop full proposals for a scheme which would enable water supplies to the population of Blackburn with Darwen to be fluoridated.”

East Lancashire PCT’s board members will discuss the matter at their meeting on Thursday, September 25, at Clayton-le-Moors Conference Centre.

Should fluoride be added to our water supplies? Add your comments below.

Comments(4)

A Darener says...
11:55am Fri 1 Aug 08

The type of fluoride used in the water supply is a waste toxin. It has no benefit to the majority of drinkers i.e. adults. If children have bad teeth then the parents should be held responsible for their condition. Fluoride toothpaste is readily available, so children should use that.
Poisons should not be added to our water supply under any circumstances.

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stuartjebbitt says...
10:45pm Mon 22 Sep 08

Look at this:
http://www.slweb.org
/50reasons.html
Fluoridation is the latest idea from
Chemical Alan our crackpot health minister. We are fighting this tooth and nail in Southampton despite a one-sided fake 'consultation' being run by our health authority, including a postcard that only gives you the option to support it (I kid you not!)
Robert Mugabe would be proud
FLUORIDE IS POISON!!!

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stuartjebbitt says...
10:52pm Mon 22 Sep 08

The side effects are numerous and varying, most are deadly. Symptoms are widespread and include among them Alzheimers disease, hardening of arteries, neural damage to brain functioning, brittle bones (needing hip replacements for instance), de-calcification of bones by calcium being replaced by flourine as it is more "available" than calcium as an element.

That fluoride is a dangerous substance is not disputed. A child swallowing 2-3 flouride tablets will die within a couple of hours for instance or to put it another way, swallowing a whole tube of fluoride toothpaste will make one extremely ill and for a small child, can prove fatal.

There are numerous such cases reported but are kept quite...yet it is still added to "prevent" tooth decay. The only effective solution unfortunately is to prevent the substance from entering your body. There is no safe limit as even small amounts are toxic given the fact that it accumulates in the body and after several decades of build-up will cause serious defects.

Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable and it is one of the contributory factors leading to autism.

East Lancs health bosses to consider adding fluoride to water supplies (From Lancashire Telegraph)

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