This week we have asked Worcestershire Trading Standards to issue a court sumons against Worcestershire Primary Trust for putting poison into our drinking water, even though the gov't have said it is legal. The people were not asked, it's not a drug, so it must be an illegal medicinal water.

s.francis, bromsgrove, worcestershire

I have read up on this subject and this week the Bromsgrove Standard newspaper in Worcestershire where we have fluoridation has printed my letter on it and Warning people of the impending dangers to their health...29th March 2008

s.francis, bromsgrove/worcs, england

Fluoride was first introduced into a drinking supply by Adolf Hitler, this was done in the Nazi concentration camps, and one the is for sure he was not concerned about there dental health.
It is know to suppress constructive thought and dumbs down brain function.
This is mass medication by politicians, just look at the warnings on your tube of toothpaste: DO NOT SWALLOW, IF SWALLOWED SEEK MEDICAL ADVICE.

s. pounds, Northampton, UK

If fluoride is so bad for us, I wonder why govenments want to introduce/keep it in the water?
Could it possibly be because they actually want to dumb down, reduce the population?
Oh, surely not!
Are we really that gullible?
After all, they're always going on about the idea that the world population is far too big. What a brilliant way to get rid of all those who are a drain on the world's resources. It's the poorer areas which are being targeted; those with a higher population?

Haven't you noticed how much control they're taking away from us? Haven't you noticed that unelected people are the ones who are making the laws that control us? Europe is a case in point. They're getting us used to a CCTV society, taking away freedoms and replacing them with fear, finger-printing our children at school and telling them not to tell their parents - just so that they can take out library books; just a few examples from this Brave New World Order.
Wake up people! Stand up and say NO.

FW, Nuremberg, Germany

A brave new world! It may cause cancer, it may sedate us like prozac, but at least we will have clean teeth..

Joel, London, UK

I do not understand why UK is even considering fluoridation when the American Dental Association are now saying that babies bottle's should not be made up with fluoridated water.
This is criiminal. Not only are we being poisoned by our own water supply - which we pay for, but once again we are having our freedom of choice taken away.
After 6 phone calls last week I am still none the wiser as to whether our water in Warwickshire has fluoride added since noone seems to want to discuss it!!
I have been ill with an undiagnosed thyroid problem for most of my life and I now believe much it has been due to mercury and fluoride. Fluoride displaces iodine which is an essential mineral for thyroid function. I have been deficient in iodine.
A Obbard. Banbury.

Adrienne Obbard, Banbury, UK

The National Pure Water Association has repeatedly asked the UK Department of Health to cite one scientific or laboratory study from anywhere in the world which proves that fluoridation reduces tooth decay in humans. They have failed to do so. The fact is that there is not a single scientific or laboratory study from anywhere in the world which proves that fluoridation reduces tooth decay in humans. There are, however, hundreds of published scientific papers which show that water fluoridation is dangerous to human, animal, plant and aquatic life, which is no surprise considering the relative toxicity levels of the substance.
That list of dangers to humans reads like a medical dictionary such are the effects noted in scientific papers from around the world. These include collagen disruption leading to breakdown of collagen in bone, tendon, muscle, skin, cartilage, lungs, kidney and trachea, and the inhibition of antibody formation in the blood and confusion of the immune system.
Fluoride kills red blood cells and damages gastric mucosa resulting in the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. It is implicated in genetic disorders, low IQ levels in children, pre-senile dementia and Alzheimer's disease, premature ageing and thyroid disorders due to its disruption of iodine in the body. Fluorides have also been used as drugs for modifying human behaviour and moods.
It has also been argued that fluoride increases cancer rates. In a recent study it was found that, pro-rata, 40% more people contracted bone cancer in the Republic of Ireland, which is fluoridated, compared with non-fluoridated but otherwise similar Northern Ireland.

adam, bradford, uk

This must be stopped, there is growing evidence that the immediate effects of fluoridation have adverse effects on the pineal gland, endocrine system with long term adverse effects on bones and teeth.
There is absolutely no way that a safe limit to the amount each person would receive can be controlled.
I have personally written to Allan Johnson asking who will be held responsible since the laws governing the supply of water have been radically changed to mitigate any legal liability of the water companies.
I have also written to my Strategic Health Authority asking if they intend to implement the scheme and if so, when they will be holding their public consulation.
The first patents relating to Fluoride I understand were for instecides and rat poisons.
This situation is truly Orwellian, we have our Health Service mass prescribing a poison.
Even more interesting is that the principle ingredient of Prozac is a fluoride derivative.

David, High Wycombe, Bucks

Fluoride addition in whatever form is toxic, period! It is impossible to compare dental carries statistics between regions as many factors such as sugar ingestion and regular brushing etc have a greater bearing on the health of teeth. Email evrybody you know to say NO to this poison ....contact your MP, your water company and even the ignorant Health secretary .. this must be stopped ... it is FORCED "medication"!!

C Radclyffe, Pontypridd, UK

Fluoride is bad for the immune system,too.

Michael, Ryde, Isle of Wight

The BDA are quick to point out how well children in Birmingham and the North East do with less tooth decay but fail to point out the statistics and research which show that these areas have the highest rate of children born with thyroid problems, an illness which is known to be caused by excess flouride. Birmingham also spends more on dental care than manchester so is it the fluoride or the money which keeps those statistics up

Which would we rather have perfect teeth or a nation of people with long term health problems costing the country
Fluoride is a class 2 poison banned in most european countries, it was used in concentration camps to keep the inmates quiet and adding it to our water is a breach of human rights as it will be mass medication

Dawn Wood, Leeds, England/west yorkshire

I am fed up of politicians,who very often only have selfish or corperate interests,harping on about 'the poor deprived children'.Is Alan Johnson admitting the poor/rich divide?If so,then the tooth decay problem could be easily solved in a way the Swiss have dealt with it.In Switzerland water fluoridation has been banned but instead the population were given a choice,they could buy table salt(guess what)with sodium fluoride in.This I believe could go a long way to solving this 'problem'.Unfortunately,the state of the dental health system is contributing to the problem-try finding a dentist who will take you on in Manchester.Finally I would recommend that people educate themselves about the history of fluoridation,most especially those who are supposed to represent our views in parliament,and not listen to the serpent-like voice of your corperate advisors.

damon, manchester,

I am a dentist who used to work in Birmingham. I saw for myself the benefits of fluoridation for my patients. My children also benefited. When I moved to Yorkshire I was struck by the poor state of dental health.
Birmingham and Newcastle have been fluoridated for over 40 years. Nearly three quarters of the water supplies in the USA are fluoridated and a programme is underway to deliver fluoridated water to 18 million more people. It is about time that people in other parts of the UK received the benefits of fluoridation.

John Beal, Leeds, England

I want to protest this,but dont know how.If anyone has any links for organisations who are pro active/. Please post
Its a sign of the times.& you have to draw the line & say anough is anough.

George Orwell, London, UK

Fluoridation uses fluoro-silicate chemicals (a waste product from the fertilizer industry). It includes 1ppb of arsenic and 3ppb heavy metals.
The eruption of permanent teeth is delayed by one year .Therefore data comparing decay rates is only valid when age corrected ie. comparing 12 year old children(non fluoridated) to 13year olds(fluoridated) reveals that there is little difference in decay rates!
Fluoridation is an outdated and ineffective method of preventing decay.Not one life should be lost in this
unscientific mass medication!
As a past president of the Australian Dental Association(SA)
it is my duty to warn the public of the dangers of fluoridation.
The long term effects of fluoride in bones is poorly researched.Claims of total safety are reckless and unproven.
Recent research at the Univ. of North Carolina have clearly
shown that the FSA chemicals leach LEAD from old pipes and
leaded brass fittings ..

Dr Andrew Harms B.D.S.(Adelaide), Adelaide , South Australia

The Times needed more balance here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluoride_poisoning
http://www.fluoridealert.org/

Celina you are correct by the way, fluoride has been used to make prisoners docile in Nazi war camps, it only has a topical effect and I would have thought that every family could afford toothbrushes. This is also against your human right to choose medication. D.L Anderson is basically typical of your average American and British citizen nowadays. Apathy is rife, especially in the media. Please research the news properly and stop simply parroting what you are told. The population need to be properly informed to make good choices in life.
Water is fluoridated with Hexafluorosilicic acid, this is so toxic and corrosive a specially equipped tanker carries it, it is an industrial toxic waste by-product commonly of the aluminium industry. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexafluorosilicic_acid
See how easy it was to show the flip side here? I'm not even a journalist!

Andy, Newcastle, UK

Oh my god, if you value your health, just say no to poison. Flouride is caustic like bleach. Its a by product of fertilizer and a too toxic to dump anywhere but in the Irish drinking water? One percent is not justification for poisioning the population. Natural occuring flouride is not what they will put in your water folks. Say NO! Its so poison they have to submit the routes the trucks take prior to it being shipped to the water treatment facilities in the States. It destroys teeth and bones and may cause add and adhd in children. Its vile.

Linda, Stockbridge, MI

Does the Government have a scheme by which to reverse this fluoridation for individual cases that it is contra-indicated? Editors for "Scientific American" believe recent studies suggest that fluoride raises the risks of disorders affecting teeth, bones, the brain and the thyroid gland, and in general “scientific attitudes” about fluoridation may be shifting.
Other reports have even indicated Fluoride was the substance added to the water in Nazi concentration camps to keep inmates subjugated.
Do the Government have the right to mass medicate and feed this into our food supply through watering crops with a suspect substance without our agreement?

Celina Marshall, London,

When I was a child fluoridation of public water supplies in the U.S. was getting under way. The air was filled with all sorts of paranoia and rumors and fears which time and experience have shown to be ludicrous. Eventually the silly season died down. It's interesting to see this just now happening in another country. There really isn't anything to be afraid of here!

D.L. Anderson, Crossett, AR/U.S.A.

I really hope this doesn't go ahead as:
There is considerable evidence that fluoride does not reduce tooth decay. There is considerable concern that fluoride is linked to a wide range of medical disorders. Fluoridation of water supplies is enforced mass medication. It is an infringement of human rights and medical ethics.

Whenever this issue comes up they base their whole argument on the difference between Birmingham and Manchester. Never mind there could have been other reasons why Birmingham performed better - more funding or greater awareness and campaigning perhaps?

Lets just say that adding fluoride does help - it doesn't help enough to combat kids eating junk - they will still get cavities!

I will be so angry if this happens. Studies have shown that the any beneficial effect fluoride has, is topical ; meaning that you should add it to your teeth directly, the fluoride in water would have no effect .

James, Manchester, England

Are they going to add fluoride to cola and other sugar-laden fizzy drinks too? Surely the children that the government are trying to target with this scheme are children who drink very little tap water anyway. Handing out toothbrushes and toothpaste and educating children about oral hygeine would be a far better use of time and money, and would leave the rest of Manchester's decay-free population to enjoy the fluoride-free tap water.

Hayley, Manchester,