UK - Bolton - What would you like with your water?
What would you like with your water?
By Jane Lavender
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WATER SUPPLY: Water is carried from Thirlmere in the Lake District to treatment works near Bolton
THE debate as to whether to add extra fluoride to Bolton's water supply has raged for more than 40 years.Council bosses held the first referendum on the issue back in the 1960s after statistics revealed children in Bolton had some of the worst teeth in the country.The public condemned the planned fluoridation of Bolton's water supply and voted for it not to be added by three votes to one.During that referendum a total of 23,596 people voted in favour of having fluoridated water, while 63,290 voted against it.But since then, the dental health of Bolton's youngsters has not improved, and the average five-year-old has almost three missing or rotting teeth or fillings.In the poorest areas of the borough, such as the former Central ward - which includes areas such as Hall i'th' Wood - the average child has 4.2 teeth damaged by decay.
Even in the best performing ward of Bromley Cross, which is also one of Bolton's most affluent, five-year-olds have 1.08 missing teeth, fillings or tooth decay, which is above the Government target of one per child.
Dentists believe adding fluoride to Bolton's water supply would go a long way to dealing with the problem Leading NHS dentist and member of the Bolton Dental Society Chris Brooks said: "Not only would this massively benefit the dental health of our young people, but there is also evidence to show that adding fluoride to water supply helps older people, who might have lost some of the dexterity, to retain their teeth for longer. It would also be beneficial for people with physical disability who have difficulty brushing their teeth.
"There is a lot of evidence that shows constant exposure to low levels of fluoride is the most beneficial and cost effective way to deliver good dental health.
"If Bolton's water is fluoridated we will see a dramatic improvement in dental health."
The case is backed up by a drastic drop in the amount of tooth decay in the West Midlands after fluoride was added to the area's water supply.
Birmingham and Solihull's water has been fluoridated since 1964, and Sandwell, Walsall, Wolverhampton and Coventry, as well as parts of Dudley, Warwickshire, Worcestshire, South Staffordshire and Shropshire, also have fluoride in their water.
Forty years ago children in the region suffered from high levels of tooth decay, but since the introduction of fluoride the dental health of the population has improved dramatically.
The West Midlands is now ranked as the best region in the country for children's dental health and on average five-year-olds across England and Wales have 50 per cent more teeth affected by tooth decay than those in that region.
John Langford, consultant in dental public health for the West Midlands Strategic Health Authority, said: "Around 3.2 million people in this region drink water that has been fluoridated, which is about 70 per cent of the population, and the impact in terms of dental health has been substantial.
"The greatest benefit has been in people from the more deprived parts of the region. We carry out regular independent surveys and consistently about 70 per cent of people support the use of fluoride."
But many local campaigners are strongly opposed to the addition of fluoride to Bolton's water supply.They claim it is "mass medication" and say it can have some harmful health consequences.
MP for Bolton North-east David Crausby, who has welcomed the news of a referendum, said: "I remain opposed to the introduction of fluoride, not because of any arguments based on the science of it, but on the basis that it is a basic human right to choose what medication they take.
"If people want to take fluoride, it's up to them, but if they don't then I would defend their right not to consume it."
Ian Upton, chairman of the Bolton Against Fluoridation Group, believes that to add fluoride to Bolton's water supply would be a breach of local people's human rights.
He said: "This is mass medication and I believe the majority of people in Bolton don't want it and shouldn't be forced to take medication they don't want.
"Some of the studies around fluoride and its health consequences are terrifying and there are growing concerns about this."
Results of an American study revealed in 2005 that there could be a link between fluoride in tap water and bone cancer in boys.
The research suggested that boys exposed to fluoride between the ages of five and 10 will suffer an increased risk of osteosarcoma - bone cancer - between the ages of 10 and 19, although there was no evidence of a link in girls.
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By Jane Lavender
Comment | Read Comments (2)
WATER SUPPLY: Water is carried from Thirlmere in the Lake District to treatment works near Bolton
THE debate as to whether to add extra fluoride to Bolton's water supply has raged for more than 40 years.Council bosses held the first referendum on the issue back in the 1960s after statistics revealed children in Bolton had some of the worst teeth in the country.The public condemned the planned fluoridation of Bolton's water supply and voted for it not to be added by three votes to one.During that referendum a total of 23,596 people voted in favour of having fluoridated water, while 63,290 voted against it.But since then, the dental health of Bolton's youngsters has not improved, and the average five-year-old has almost three missing or rotting teeth or fillings.In the poorest areas of the borough, such as the former Central ward - which includes areas such as Hall i'th' Wood - the average child has 4.2 teeth damaged by decay.
Even in the best performing ward of Bromley Cross, which is also one of Bolton's most affluent, five-year-olds have 1.08 missing teeth, fillings or tooth decay, which is above the Government target of one per child.
Dentists believe adding fluoride to Bolton's water supply would go a long way to dealing with the problem Leading NHS dentist and member of the Bolton Dental Society Chris Brooks said: "Not only would this massively benefit the dental health of our young people, but there is also evidence to show that adding fluoride to water supply helps older people, who might have lost some of the dexterity, to retain their teeth for longer. It would also be beneficial for people with physical disability who have difficulty brushing their teeth.
"There is a lot of evidence that shows constant exposure to low levels of fluoride is the most beneficial and cost effective way to deliver good dental health.
"If Bolton's water is fluoridated we will see a dramatic improvement in dental health."
The case is backed up by a drastic drop in the amount of tooth decay in the West Midlands after fluoride was added to the area's water supply.
Birmingham and Solihull's water has been fluoridated since 1964, and Sandwell, Walsall, Wolverhampton and Coventry, as well as parts of Dudley, Warwickshire, Worcestshire, South Staffordshire and Shropshire, also have fluoride in their water.
Forty years ago children in the region suffered from high levels of tooth decay, but since the introduction of fluoride the dental health of the population has improved dramatically.
The West Midlands is now ranked as the best region in the country for children's dental health and on average five-year-olds across England and Wales have 50 per cent more teeth affected by tooth decay than those in that region.
John Langford, consultant in dental public health for the West Midlands Strategic Health Authority, said: "Around 3.2 million people in this region drink water that has been fluoridated, which is about 70 per cent of the population, and the impact in terms of dental health has been substantial.
"The greatest benefit has been in people from the more deprived parts of the region. We carry out regular independent surveys and consistently about 70 per cent of people support the use of fluoride."
But many local campaigners are strongly opposed to the addition of fluoride to Bolton's water supply.They claim it is "mass medication" and say it can have some harmful health consequences.
MP for Bolton North-east David Crausby, who has welcomed the news of a referendum, said: "I remain opposed to the introduction of fluoride, not because of any arguments based on the science of it, but on the basis that it is a basic human right to choose what medication they take.
"If people want to take fluoride, it's up to them, but if they don't then I would defend their right not to consume it."
Ian Upton, chairman of the Bolton Against Fluoridation Group, believes that to add fluoride to Bolton's water supply would be a breach of local people's human rights.
He said: "This is mass medication and I believe the majority of people in Bolton don't want it and shouldn't be forced to take medication they don't want.
"Some of the studies around fluoride and its health consequences are terrifying and there are growing concerns about this."
Results of an American study revealed in 2005 that there could be a link between fluoride in tap water and bone cancer in boys.
The research suggested that boys exposed to fluoride between the ages of five and 10 will suffer an increased risk of osteosarcoma - bone cancer - between the ages of 10 and 19, although there was no evidence of a link in girls.
You can add comments to newspaper article.
posted by Bill at
9:51 AM
1 Comments:
Thank god! That Bolton is against it! It is of course a right to choose if we want " medicating" or not, it has been Proven that fluoride is a poision and does not have medical benefits, in the short term there will be possible " benefits" that the water companies and payed off health agencies will say;yet no mention of the long term consequences of exposure ie, several cancers, enphaseema, lekumia, brain disorders, muscle disorders- the list goes on, if u are interested in the impact this is having in fluoridated places search- water: the great culling on youtube, extremely insightful documentory which will make you think twice before you allow fluoride in your water, sone places are already medicated and I urge you stand up to get it removed ( like other europeon countries which have opted out because of the horrific consequences they manage to be aware of) northwest has 0.2 to the million of fluoride, in the water supply on average, the health authority state that topping it up to 1.5 is safe yet, cases havw been reported in the US of fluride poisioning at levels of up to 0.7 . People realky need to be aware of what is going on, get on to your local council if your area is affected!
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