Cornwall Council and fluoride in the water

South west water (in the United Kingdom) and Cornwall Council (also in the south west of the United Kingdom) have teamed up to implement a fluoridation program within the local tap water supply. It hasn't happened as of yet, but it is mooted to be approved imminently.

Currently only 10% of the UK currently gets fluoridated tap water and of that 10%, 92% is artificial.

The reasoning? Limited access for minors to NHS (national health service) dentists. So, they are putting fluoride in the water because some children cannot access dentists, which feels more than a little heavy handed to me.

There are widely differing viewpoints on the medical impacts of water fluoridation, however, a fascinating article at the library of medicine succinctly outlines the potential harms:

There are very few countries these days that will allow the fluoridation of tap water due to an overlap of providing water treatment vs medication of the water supply. Personally, I feel that there should be decisions for the individual as to whether they are exposing themselves to a specific treatment of medication. Water is essential to life so cannot be avoided. We all need to consume water to live, so anything added to the water is almost impossible to avoid on some level.

Here are a few reasons, as taken from the national library of medicine website, as to the potential harms of water fluoridation:

1.) Fluoride does not need to be ingested to be effective. Over ingestion is highly probable due to no specific controls over dosage.

2.) Fluoride can be toxic in children in very low concentrations, even as little as 8.4mg/kg.

3.) When acute toxicity is reached, this can leads to pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and even death.

4.) Dental fluorosis, which is the mottling and discoloration of the teeth and even skeletal fluorosis.

5.) Skeletal fluorosis can eventually lead to bone fractures, often hip fractures in the elderly and additionally calcification of ligaments and cartilage.

6.) Within Europe, only Ireland, Serbia, Poland and Spain fluoridate their water. Of course, the United Kingdom does also fluoridate water, but is no longer part of the European Union.

Amongst my family and friends, we have discussed at great length our concerns about water fluoridation. During the 1970's, there was a large program of water fluoridation in the UK which caused dental fluorosis and skeletal fluorosis. After the link was made, the government dramatically reduced the level of fluoride in the water to limit this side effect. Many water authorities later stopped adding it to the water altogether.

I do understand that dental hygiene is highly important, but surely this is more of an educational requirement than a mass medication program? My parents were adamant surrounding our dental health. Our parents would clean our teeth for us for many years to ensure it was being done correctly, and would monitor us cleaning our teeth to make sure. If we didn't, then they would step in and do it. This most definitely ensured we cleaned our teeth correctly, as no one wants their parents scrubbing their teeth for them.

This year I will be 41 and my brother 46. Neither of us dental cavities or have had to have any invasive dental procedures such as fillings or removals, so evidently that process has worked. Yet, I and many others with great oral hygiene will unnecessarily be exposed to fluoridated water in the name of dental health. Which I feel is unacceptable and completely unjust.

But what are your thoughts? Do you live in a flouridated water region? Has it impacted you in unexpected ways? I'd love to hear your viewpoints and experiences. Let's start a discussion on your views.