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VOTE: Flouride plans greeted with mixed reaction
6:45pm Wednesday 6th February 2008
MULTI-MILLION pound plans to add fluoride to water have been greeted with mixed reactions in Bolton.
Health Secretary Alan Johnson has announced Government plans to pump £42 million into areas which want to add fluoride to water supplies in a bid to improve people's dental health.
Bolton children have some of worst dental health in the country, with youngsters in some areas having four times the tooth decay and problems as the national average.
But the issue has been hotly debated in the town with dentists and some MPs backing the move, while others brand it "mass medication" and raise fears of a link between fluoride and cancer and bone problems.
Chris Brooks, one of Bolton's leading NHS dentists, said: "It's a controversial issue, with many people opposing it. We hope they will come to see the benefits. It will have a major impact in driving down the misery and pain of children's tooth decay as well as the need to put youngsters under anaesthetic to remove decayed teeth."
MP for Bolton South-east, Dr Brian Iddon, added: "I'm very much pro-fluoride. It will make a big difference to the condition of teeth in Bolton's children."
But David Crausby, MP for Bolton North-east, is against adding fluoride to water supplies and believes parents should take more responsibility for their children's teeth.
He said: "This is mass medication and I will continue in the struggle against it. It shouldn't be forced on people and they should have a free choice to consume it in their water.
"If parents want to improve their children's dental health, then it's their responsibility and they should do all they can."
Last year, Bolton's Conservative and LibDem councillors voted to hold a referendum on whether fluoride should be added to the borough's water. However, because of the costs and logistics of a public vote, Bolton Council agreed it would only take place next year if North West Strategic Health Authority carries out public consultation on the subject.
Health chiefs are currently waiting for the authority's Fluoridation Evaluation Group to report on the matter before deciding whether to launch consultation.
Currently, about six million people in England, mainly in the North-east and the West Midlands, receive water containing fluoridation.
Children in our area are more than twice as likely to have tooth decay as youngsters in Birmingham, where fluoride has been added for more than 40 years.
A spokesman for Bolton Primary Care Trust, which funds GP and dental care, said: "The national announcement on fluoride does not change anything for the PCT at the moment. We are still awaiting the outcome of the evaluation.
"It is only after that exercise is finished that a decision will be made on whether to consult local people about the issue."
Your Say Yourtheboltonnews
Sun Tzu, says...
6:59pm Wed 6 Feb 08
tax payer, Bolton says...
7:18pm Wed 6 Feb 08
steve wrote:I don't ingest my toothpaste enough. Those against this either are ignorant, ill-informed, or too cosmetically self conscience.
Just heard it's possible to buy toothpaste with fluoride already in it - no need to add it to the water.
Should be left to a public vote - surely in this day in age a public vote would be well easy. The biggest obstacle to this is council apathy.
Zimmy, Bolton says...
7:29pm Wed 6 Feb 08
steve, bolton says...
7:34pm Wed 6 Feb 08
tax payer wrote:My understanding is that the fluoride need not be ingested to provide the necessary benefits.
steve wrote: Just heard it's possible to buy toothpaste with fluoride already in it - no need to add it to the water.I don't ingest my toothpaste enough. Those against this either are ignorant, ill-informed, or too cosmetically self conscience. Should be left to a public vote - surely in this day in age a public vote would be well easy. The biggest obstacle to this is council apathy.
tom3465, Farnworth says...
7:36pm Wed 6 Feb 08
john, bolton says...
7:42pm Wed 6 Feb 08
Zimmy, Bolton says...
7:45pm Wed 6 Feb 08
tax payer, Bolton says...
7:47pm Wed 6 Feb 08
tom3465, Farnworth says...
8:00pm Wed 6 Feb 08
john wrote:so you are talking for all of us are you? either a referendum or stike it from the list of stupid things this council can do before they are voted out list.
A long-overdue public health measure. There is nothing wrong with flouride as millions in other countries and other parts of Britain will testify. The benefits are well worth the cost.
Zimmy, Bolton says...
8:08pm Wed 6 Feb 08
tom3465, Farnworth says...
8:15pm Wed 6 Feb 08
Kerry, Kearsley says...
8:15pm Wed 6 Feb 08
It leads to more problems. If people want fluoride, buy tablets which are available at Boots.
We have too much already, it's in our food and drinks.
I understand it can do harm in the long term to teeth, causing pitting leading to expensive veneers or extraction not with standing bone problems in later life.
Fluoride is a tool used by the Government to cut down on NHS spending. Why do you think there are no NHS dentists ? Because, the magic bullet is fluoride.
Brian Iddon, Scientist, retiring at the next election, probably onto the board of a Chemical Company.
No more additives to the food chain.
PJ, says...
8:18pm Wed 6 Feb 08
Zimmy, Bolton says...
8:18pm Wed 6 Feb 08
So you stay behind closed doors afraid of what may happen.
white feathers to the bolton mob
gm, lancs says...
8:19pm Wed 6 Feb 08
BoltonDave, Tonge Moor says...
8:28pm Wed 6 Feb 08
tax payer wrote:Public vote? Ha Ha Ha! This is labour Britain we live in. They aren't interested in what we think or want. How many fools voted them back in only to find themselves worse off than 10 years ago.
steve wrote: Just heard it's possible to buy toothpaste with fluoride already in it - no need to add it to the water.I don't ingest my toothpaste enough. Those against this either are ignorant, ill-informed, or too cosmetically self conscience. Should be left to a public vote - surely in this day in age a public vote would be well easy. The biggest obstacle to this is council apathy.
All the lies and deceit. Votes don't mean diddly in this country run by fascists. Do as they say and command!
inigo, smithfield says...
8:49pm Wed 6 Feb 08
tosh, says...
9:39pm Wed 6 Feb 08
RW, says...
10:51pm Wed 6 Feb 08
steve, bolton says...
11:36pm Wed 6 Feb 08
RW wrote:Well be careful to check the dates because much of the bottled water on sale can be months old.
A few minutes of searching on the internet has just convinced me to use bottled water from now.
Expat Allan, Borogoves says...
12:39am Thu 7 Feb 08
I agree we you should not have flouride (as stated in the headline)to Bolton water - could be a sticky wicket!
However fluoride is a whole different matter, and in locations where it has been in effect for some time has reduced the number of cavities (and hence fillings) of the population by 90% without any damage to healthy teeth and gums being recorded - as claimed by Kerry from Kearsley
Expat Allan, Borogoves says...
12:42am Thu 7 Feb 08
Tony, perth Australia says...
5:48am Thu 7 Feb 08
David, Sharples says...
8:09am Thu 7 Feb 08
rc1972, Bolton says...
8:21am Thu 7 Feb 08
amosc99, Overseas says...
9:10am Thu 7 Feb 08
tom3465 wrote:This is not a council led opprtunity - unfortunately.
john wrote: A long-overdue public health measure. There is nothing wrong with flouride as millions in other countries and other parts of Britain will testify. The benefits are well worth the cost.so you are talking for all of us are you? either a referendum or stike it from the list of stupid things this council can do before they are voted out list.
IT is being done by United Utilities (a completely indepedent company - owned by the Yanks - from the council and control ALL the water in the north-west region!!!)
Secondly before anyone mentions it - it, also, is NOT the policy of the EU. THey have left that decision up to the different countries but advise that it can cause bad reactions in quite a percentage of the population.
Thirdly if the EU commssion thinks its unsafe for a certain number of people, within the Common Market, then why poison people with it!!! Does Human Rights come into play here????
Jethro Tull, Bolton says...
9:15am Thu 7 Feb 08
http://www.prisonpla
net.com/articles/jan
uary2008/011508_fluo
ride_horror.htm
Tubby Scruff, Alderley Edge says...
9:39am Thu 7 Feb 08
After reading the link and other including the BBC. I can only recoil in horror at what they're proposing, it's like a Nazi experiment.
Adding a Part II Poison to the water. A chemical waste product used in drugs such as Prozac and worse..Sarin nerve Gas.
I read also Hazel "munchkin" Blears comment to end all condescending comment which read.
"Experience of oral health promotion projects shows that it is much harder to establish regular tooth-brushing in deprived areas, because of the costs of toothpaste and, perhaps, because of the less ordered lifestyles lived by families."
As some of you rightly point out, what's next on Labours Nanny agenda ?
I've often thought, the reason why the Government allow supermarkets to sell booze at rock bottom prices or borrow like it's going out of fashion, a form of control, if were all rat legged or hocked up, were not making a fuss, and up in arms to the many things that go on.
erichyland, says...
10:01am Thu 7 Feb 08
chas, suffolk says...
10:02am Thu 7 Feb 08
gazz_ball - Supera Moras!, bolton says...
10:20am Thu 7 Feb 08
Tubby Scruff, Alderley Edge says...
10:39am Thu 7 Feb 08
Solution, we'll throw £40 million at it, that'll make us look good.
Gazz, think, there you are lifting your weights, next minute snap, wrist gone and all because they poisoned you a Part II Poison, extreme but possible.
Has anybody noticed, kids from Caribbean heritage, generally have beautiful teeth ? Same with many Asian kids.
Sporty people, generally have good gnashers. Would it not be better to get the kids out playing and on sugar free diets ? (adults too !)
Chris Brooks<Pro - Fluoride>, Bolton says...
10:54am Thu 7 Feb 08
Tubby Scruff, Alderley Edge says...
11:03am Thu 7 Feb 08
In your position,should you not be educating people rather than poisoning them ?
If people are adamant they want poison in the water, let them buy tablets to add to their own ?
chas, suffolk says...
11:06am Thu 7 Feb 08
boris, west sussex says...
11:23am Thu 7 Feb 08
Zimmy, Bolton says...
11:27am Thu 7 Feb 08
boris, west sussex says...
11:47am Thu 7 Feb 08
Dr. Takeki Tsutsui and co-workers of the Nippon Dental College in Japan showed that fluoride not only caused genetic damage but was also capable of transforming normal cells into cancer cells.
In one report, the US Government investigated 156 cancer deaths over 3 years. They concluded that fluoride accumulates in body tissues and may eventually cause cancer and/or other fatal illnesses.
The research of Dr Dean Burk, former Chief Chemist of the National Cancer Institute showed that 10,000 or more fluoridation-linked cancer deaths occur yearly in the United States.
Since 1990, the National Cancer Institute, the New Jersey Department of Health, and the Safe Water Foundation all found that the incidence of osteosarcoma (a type of bone cancer) was substantially higher in young men exposed to fluoridated water as compared to those who were not.
A study by Procter and Gamble showed that as little as half the amount of fluoride used to fluoridate public water supplies resulted in a sizable and significant increase in genetic damage.
"In cultured human and rodent cells, the weight of evidence leads to the conclusion that fluoride exposure results in increased chromosome aberrations ".
boris, west sussex says...
11:50am Thu 7 Feb 08
Tubby Scruff, Alderley Edge says...
12:05pm Thu 7 Feb 08
The people zombies and quiet, best of all for them no pensioners ?
stan evans, bolton says...
12:06pm Thu 7 Feb 08
Chris Brooks<Pro - Fluoride>, Bolton says...
12:07pm Thu 7 Feb 08
boris, west sussex says...
12:09pm Thu 7 Feb 08
boris, that will explain why people in the West-Midlands have a greater life expectancy than the people in the North-West,even though they have been poisoned for 40 years.
Where is the evidence of this increased life expectancy??
Chris Brooks<Pro - Fluoride>, Bolton says...
12:25pm Thu 7 Feb 08
boris, west sussex says...
12:32pm Thu 7 Feb 08
I assume you reject the data I posted, so I'm to believe your University study??
I would add Chris, we are bombarded with caffeine facts, sugar, salt etc. These studies change every few months. Are these people playing games, or could it be that they haven't got a clue. They have to produce some flannel for us plebes, otherwise why pay them.
Tubby Scruff, Alderley Edge says...
12:41pm Thu 7 Feb 08
Tubby Scruff, Alderley Edge says...
12:44pm Thu 7 Feb 08
boris, west sussex says...
12:49pm Thu 7 Feb 08
Do you accept, if there is any doubt about long term health, even if small, then this madness should be shelved immediately???
Chris Brooks<Pro - Fluoride>, Bolton says...
1:17pm Thu 7 Feb 08
Chris Brooks<Pro - Fluoride>, Bolton says...
1:19pm Thu 7 Feb 08
boris, west sussex says...
1:28pm Thu 7 Feb 08
boris,sorry! Yes
Then it must be shelved, as there is doubt.
Chris Brooks<Pro - Fluoride>, Bolton says...
1:35pm Thu 7 Feb 08
boris, west sussex says...
1:44pm Thu 7 Feb 08
Fluoride in drinking water also benefits people who have kept their teeth into old age, many of whom can find that declining manual dexterity and sometimes dementia can have a catastrophic impact on their oral health .Many medicines,cause dry mouth through reduced saliva output, and fluoride will help to counteract the devastating impact of root caries in these vulnerable people.
Chris smoking is known to reduce the chances of getting Alzheimer's and Parkinson's decease, does this mean every one should take up smoking?? I promise I'm not trying to launch a smoking debate, just point out you are coming from one angle, like I am with the Parkinsons and Alzheimers comment. What about the negative sides of long term exposure to fluoride??
Lollipop, Muddy Duct says...
2:26pm Thu 7 Feb 08
Chris Brooks<Pro - Fluoride> wrote:Watching a debate on BBC1 yesterday it was said that Birmingham spends more per year on Dental Health than Manchester. Excluding the cost of putting flouride in the water.
boris,why don`t the anti-fluoride groups try to persuade the people of Solihull<lowest decay rates in 5 year olds in the UK> of the health benefits of drinking non-fluoridated water? Fluoride in drinking water also benefits people who have kept their teeth into old age, many of whom can find that declining manual dexterity and sometimes dementia can have a catastrophic impact on their oral health .Many medicines,cause dry mouth through reduced saliva output, and fluoride will help to counteract the devastating impact of root caries in these vulnerable people.
Zimmy, Bolton says...
2:34pm Thu 7 Feb 08
boris, west sussex says...
3:16pm Thu 7 Feb 08
Flouride ??Is that when you screw a bag of flour. doesnt your man thing go white ?? C'mon tell us BN. I demand a n answer
so you crap.ped yourself about going to town ??
So you crap.ped yourselves again just as you did on Bolton station years back.
So you stay behind closed doors afraid of what may happen.
white feathers to the bolton mob
John, Yorkshire says...
4:25pm Fri 8 Feb 08
Your sayYourtheboltonnews
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steve, bolton says...
6:51pm Wed 6 Feb 08