14/6/2001
Dear Minister,
We are a citizens' group called Fluoride Free Water. We represent hundreds of concerned citizens from all over Ireland. We are writing to highlight the fa ilure of successive Ministers to assess the health, ethical, and environmental implications of nearly forty years of water fluoridation in Ireland. Due to these failures and the increasing number of international, scientific studies linking water fluoridation and harmful health effects we are demanding:
1. The Minister stops artificial water fluoridation immediately. This is based on the precautionary principle, adopted by the EU, which states that if there is any doubt about the potential harm, exposure to a chemical substance, may cause, then governments must stop and investigate the chemical immediately. Fluoridation causes dental fluorosis. Fluoridation is also linked to serious health conditions such as hip fractures, cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, thyroid disorders and neurological damage.
2. The Minister begins independent, scientific studies into the health effects of nearly forty years of dosing our drinking water with artificial fluoride. There has never been a health study in Ireland despite the Health (fluoridation of water supplies) Act 1960 section 6 which states: "It shall be the duty of the Minister to arrange from time to time for such surveys as appear to him to be desirable as respects the health, or any particular aspects of health..."
3. The Minister recognises our basic human right i.e. the freedom to choose and immediately cease mass-medicating the Irish people without their consent. In the year 2001 Ireland is now the only European country mandating water fluoridation by law. Virtually a ll other countries have assessed this health programme and either rejected it, or even banned it, as a number of countries such as Holland and Denmark have done. Significantly most other European countries have also signed a human rights convention that prohibit them from mass-medicating their populations via such a crude system as the public drinking water supplies. The Council of Europe\rquote s Convention on Human Rights and Bio-Medicine explicitly states that no government can force feed a medication to its population without the peoples\rquote prior consent. Ireland has not signed this treaty to date.
4. The Minister acknowledges that the Fluoridating agent used to dose our water is a waste product of the fertiliser industry. Therefore, it is a toxic fluoride cockta il containing many carcinogens including arsenic, lead, mercury, nickel and chromium. In addition, it is also contaminated with uranium as acknowledged by Kemira Chemicals, the exporters. According to the Irish Medicines Board, this fluoride acid is not registered as a medicine, is unlicensed and has never been proved safe or effective for use on humans.
5. The Minister set up an independent public inquiry into water fluoridation in Ireland.
We are also enclosing with this letter numerous international, scientific studies showing the damaging health effects of adding artificial fluoride to a population's drinking water. There are no longer any excuses for forcing water fluoridation on the Irish people. Ireland is the only democracy in the world, which forces its people to drink chemical fluoride, a waste product of the fertiliser industry contaminated with arsenic and lead.
Fluoride Free Water thanks the Minister for taking the time to read this letter and we look forward to receiving your response.
Yours sincerely,
Fluoride Free Water.