Will we be the last place in the world to stop fluoridation?

Israel Supreme court outlaws fluoridation.

Will New Zealand be the last place in the world to stop fluoridation?

On the 6th of August 2013 the Israeli Supreme court ruled that all councils in Israel stop fluoridation by 2014. This comes on the heels of a law passed in April that repealed mandatory fluoridation.

Health Minister German, who introduced the law, said at the time she hoped that the impending high court decision would find fluoridation illegal. It has. Israel will join the vast majority of the world by not allowing toxic chemicals, in the guise of a dental medication, to be added to people’s drinking water.

New Zealand is now only one of a tiny minority of countries that has any substantial fluoridation. The others are Australia, Ireland, the US and Singapore.

The Israeli decision was strongly influenced by a recent study published by environmental risk consultant Declan Waugh. That study found significantly higher rates of all major diseases in the fluoridated Republic of Ireland than in unfluoridated Northern Ireland. The pattern was the same across the OECD countries. Mr Waugh presented his finding at the recent Hamilton Fluoridation Tribunal, where councillors voted 7:1 to end fluoridation.

That decision precipitated an outcry from a small vocal minority in NZ, notably the Ministry of Health and the NZ Dental Association.
New Zealand was the last place on earth to stop 245T, one of the toxic ingredients in Agent Orange. Instead we continued to spray this dioxin-contaminated substance all over the country for 17 years after scientists had rung the alarm bells.

The Ministry of Health called scientists opposing 245T alarmists and cranks relying on pseudo-science and scaremongering - exactly the tactics used against those opposing fluoridation today. The Ministry still does not accept that 245T is harmful. It was also a leading promoter of keeping lead in petrol.

When will the NZ Government learn that people want less chemicals in their environment, not more, and the safety of food is paramount in most countries? The current Fonterra debacle should be sending us a big message. China is one of the world leaders in fluoride research and fluoride removal from water supplies. Do we want to give them further reason not to accept our products – because they are contaminated with fluoridated water?

The health risks and lack of efficacy of water fluoridation are well documented. This practice is way past its use by date.

A court case challenging fluoridation will be heard in the New Plymouth High Court later this year. However, the NZ Government should take the lead, put our health and our overseas markets before the entrenched dogma of the Ministry of Health and New Zealand Dental Association, and stop fluoridation immediately.

ENDS

© Scoop Media