Fluoridation plans 'need backing of residents' (From Daily Echo)
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Southampton's fluoridation plans 'need backing of residents'
12:53pm Wednesday 19th January 2011 in Fluoride
By Jon Reeve, Education Reporter
Fluoridation plans 'need backing of residents'
GOVERNMENT ministers gave repeated assurances to parliament that fluoridation schemes would only go ahead if they were backed by affected residents, a court heard.
On the opening morning of a judicial review into South Central Strategic Health Authority's decision to add a chemical to the water supplies of nearly 200,000 Hampshire people barristers for Southampton woman Geraldine Milner have outlined their case.
Mrs Milner believes health chiefs should not have approved the plans because of opposition during a public consultation.
London's Royal Courts of Justice heard today that while debating changes to the Water Act in 2003 and 2005 ministers said that residents views were key to the decision making process.
Speaking in October 2003 minister Melanie Johnson told the House of Commons: "there is a difficulty in weighing up the responses, but whatever the case, local opinion must be in favour of the proposal. Local opinion must support the measure overall. Whatever mechanism used a clear majority of people should be in favour."
During the public consultation before the SHA board approved fluoridation in February 2009 72% of respondents from the affected area, which affects parts of Southampton, Eastleigh, Totton, Netley and Rownhams, said they were against the scheme.
In a separate telephone survey 38% of people questioned opposed adding fluoride while 32% gave it their backing.
The judicial review is examining what the governments intention was when it passed legislation determining how health authorities could approve fluoridation schemes.
Comments(13)
geoff51
says...
3:50pm Wed 19 Jan 11
Just go quietly please members of the SHA and turn off the office lights when you go because we do not want unelected Quango's to decided whether we need mass medication.
The next thing will be anti depreessants in the water so we dont complain and that is the same as flouride, unsafe and unwanted
RevReese
says...
7:16pm Wed 19 Jan 11
First we heard about it was in the Echo, needless to say we certainly do not want this poison in our water!.
Stupideditor
says...
12:17am Thu 20 Jan 11
Spot O'Bother
says...
1:03am Thu 20 Jan 11
Carl Baron
says...
4:03pm Thu 20 Jan 11
The evidence against putting proven dangerous toxic fluoride in public drinking water is abundant, yet those who represent the so-called establishment continues to disregard the overwhelming evidence as can be seen from medial evidence on TaskNews Health web site. http://tinyurl.com/y
4mqahv ………
If there were not a secret agenda as to why they want to Mass Medicate the British Public why then refuse to go with the wishes of the public?……….
You always see officials with Mineral Water bottles on their desks at all major discussions and not tap water says it all does it not?…..
Signed Carl Barron Chairman of agpcuk………..
porkiepie
says...
7:59pm Thu 20 Jan 11
geoff51
says...
9:28pm Thu 20 Jan 11
porkiepie wrote:There is a difference between the choice of using flouride toothpaste and having it forced upon us by unelected Quango's against our will.
well im FOR fluoride in my tap water, i grew up in a area where we had it in our water and for the amount they actually add to the water it doesnt affect ur health, im perfectly healthy after having it in my water for the 20 yrs of my life in fact i have perfectly healthy teeth as well which i put down to the fluoride in the water, if people are causing such problems about having it in their water then why not kick off about having it in tooth paste and i think these people should be aware that there has been traces found in certain foods and drinks. so for those causing a stir about it should wind their necks in a little i think
Remember water is used for more purposes than drinking and as such shouls not be contaminated with dangerous chemicals.
Teach children to use better dental hygiene and not mass medication
taffy36
says...
4:57pm Sat 22 Jan 11
now alot of children will not drink milk only soft drinks which isnt very good for teeth, I am 75 and still have my own teeth.
I do not want Fluoride in my water, a few years time they will find it hasnt improved the childrens teeth
porkiepie
says...
12:31pm Sun 23 Jan 11
org/wiki/Water_fluor
idation. very interesting reading!!!
oooh so even bottled water has fluoride in? why dont u complain about all the other chemicals that are in bottled water???
and it can occur naturally in water?
oooh children have fluoride varnish as standard at the dentist?
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Spain, the UK, and Vietnam. An estimated 12 million people in western Europe, 171 million in the U.S. (61.5% of U.S. population), and 355 million worldwide receive artificially fluoridated water, in addition to at least 50 million worldwide who receive water naturally fluoridated to recommended levels....
dont tell me none of u people go to any of these countries as they have fluoride in their water??? or tht u wouldnt move to certain parts of england as they have it in their water as well. and what are u going to do if they do end up putting it in ur tap water? carry on ur rant or just find something else to complain about???!!!
geoff51
says...
6:55pm Sun 23 Jan 11
porkiepie wrote:The actual point of the whole flouride saga is not that of whether it is or is not good for you it is the fact that an unelected Quango can override the wishes of the majority and go ahead with its plans and hold on to our money to fight their action in the High court.
http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Water_fluor idation. very interesting reading!!! oooh so even bottled water has fluoride in? why dont u complain about all the other chemicals that are in bottled water??? and it can occur naturally in water? oooh children have fluoride varnish as standard at the dentist? Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Spain, the UK, and Vietnam. An estimated 12 million people in western Europe, 171 million in the U.S. (61.5% of U.S. population), and 355 million worldwide receive artificially fluoridated water, in addition to at least 50 million worldwide who receive water naturally fluoridated to recommended levels.... dont tell me none of u people go to any of these countries as they have fluoride in their water??? or tht u wouldnt move to certain parts of england as they have it in their water as well. and what are u going to do if they do end up putting it in ur tap water? carry on ur rant or just find something else to complain about???!!!
This attitude smacks of dictatorship be it communist or fascist and has no place in modern free society
Calli
says...
12:06am Wed 26 Jan 11
patifolol
says...
1:42pm Sun 30 Jan 11
Poppy22 says...
3:40pm Wed 19 Jan 11
- The majority of Southampton residents who responded to the public consultation said we don't want fluoride in tap water so this High Court case had better get it sorted!
- Why should those of us who aren't children (or who don't have children) have to be subjected to imposed fluoride in tap water?
- How many children have drinks with water from the tap anyway????? ALL the children I know, of all ages, drink manufactured drinks out of bottles and cans, apart from diluted squash and bottle-fed babies, many of whose parents I see using bottled, not tap, water anyway!
- Put the responsibility on parents (and children's sweet & drink manufacturers!!)to ensure their children's teeth aren't ruined by excess sugar or fruit acids
- If adults drink the recommended 2 litres or more of tap of water every day, plus hot drinks, and that water has fluoride in it, surely there'll be more adult health problems down the line (eg teeth discolouration, possible major illnesses?)
- If children need fluoride in their drinks, then get food manufacturers to produce flouride-containing drinks especially for children, or fluoride tablets to go in tap water if parents choose to give their children water with fluoride.
- I foresee a lot of "class actions" for health problems in future years (from adults and possibly the children of today) if imposed fluoride in water goes ahead
- I also foresee an immediate massive increase in the amount of plastic bottle waste where people who stop drinking tap water and drink bottled instead!