CLARE JOINS GROWING LIST OF COUNTY COUNCILS OPPOSING home

CLARE JOINS GROWING LIST OF COUNTY COUNCILS OPPOSING

Clare County Council on 28/11/2000 passed the following motion, “this Council seeks through Longford County Council and the Midland Health Board to have the Health Act (fluoridation of water supplies) 1960, which requires the mandatory fluoridation of water, revoked by the Minister of Health and Children in the National Interest”.

Leitrim also joined the growing ranks of county councils who are waking up to the possible health implications of thirty-five years of mass medication with a toxic waste product of the fertiliser industry.

Following a concerted and sustained campaign by the Fluoride Free Leitrim citizens group a presentation was accepted by Leitrim County Council on 3rd Sept. 2000. The presentation was given by Dr. Don Mac Auley and Kryzstof Zurek. Months later the North Western Health Board finally attended and presented their side of the debate. At the December meeting Councillor Tommy Mc Carton proposed the following motion:

"That the Council call on the Minister of Health, Micheal Martin, to immediately amend the Act which makes the fluoridation of all drinking water mandatory and that the minister allow councils to make their own decision on the matter".

The motion was accepted unanimously. Congratulations to all the citizens in Leitrim on their perseverance and hard work.

Below is a summary of other county council motions.

DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL
On 1st March 1999, a monthly meeting of Dublin City Council adopted the following motion:

"That this City Council calls on the Manager to remove fluoride from the drinking water supply in light of scientific evidence that the health risks associated with fluoride may well outweigh any benefit from reduction in dental caries. Most European countries do not use fluoride in their water supplies and have at least as good a record on oral hygiene as Ireland and requests the Taoiseach to set up an expert technical group to review the medical, dental and environmental effects of fluoridation of water."

DONEGAL COUNTY COUNCIL
At a meeting of Donegal County Council held on 13th December 1999 a motion was passed to the effect "that Donegal County Council would suspend the fluoridation of water pending the outcome of an investigation by the Oireachtas Committee on health and children on the effects of fluoridation in water."

SLIGO COUNTY COUNCIL
More recently, Sligo County Council unanimously (22-0) adopted the following motion on Monday 6th March 2000:

"That Sligo County Council calls upon the Government and Minister for Health to amend the Health (Fluoridation of Water Supplies) Act 1960, so as to allow local authorities to make the final decision on whether drinking water should be fluoridated."

The motion above was passed following a presentation on the medical, dental and environmental side effects of fluoridation by Mr. Walter Graham, Chairman, Northern Ireland Councils Against Fluoridation and Ms. Karen Stewart, Sligo Action Against Fluoride.

Mr. Graham presented similar evidence in 1998 when Northern Ireland rejected fluoridation. 25 out of 26 Northern Ireland Councils said an emphatic NO TO FLUORIDATION.

WHY IS THE MINISTER OF HEALTH CONTINUING TO IGNORE THE REQUESTS OF LOCALLY ELECTED COUNCILS?