Ireland: The Campaign against the Fluoridation of Drinking Water

With upcoming local and European elections one of Ireland’s main parties (Fine Gael) has now announced that they will abolish the policy of nationwide drinking water fluoridation.

With upcoming local and European elections one of Ireland’s main parties (Fine Gael) has now announced that they will abolish the policy of nationwide drinking water fluoridation. Fine Gael (FG) is currently the main government party with the Labour Party as a junior partner. A new policy document drawn up by FG’s environment spokesperson states:

“Fine Gael believes that there are sufficient grounds to point to serious health risks from the cumulative amount of fluoride in our piped water supply system,”

Have these people suddenly discovered their conscience?  So what happened?

Photo: Environmental scientist Declan Waugh addressing anti-fluoride rally in Bantry, West Cork, Ireland

For years activists, centered around the environmental scientist Declan Waugh and the Girl against Fluoride (Aisling Fitzgibbon), have highlighted the detrimental effects of drinking water on human, animal and environmental health. The efforts gained more and more traction (to read more just search ‘fluoride’ on this website). Based on scientific facts they convinced various local and county councils to vote against water fluoridation.

These, however, were prevented from implementing their decision because they were bound by the national policy. Neither the local authorities nor their workers at the water plants had the courage to follow through and just stop the practice on their own. But a courageous publication (‘Hot Press’mostly read by younger people) published a series of articles critical of water fluoridation and a well known musician, Paddy Casey, spoke out publicly.

In November 2013 a bill was introduced into the Irish Parliament (Dail) and debated and voted on (Fluoridation of Water Supplies Repeal Bill). All the main parties (FG, Labour -in government- and Fianna Fail- in opposition) rejected the bill (92 /25). It was supported by Independents and Sinn Fein (in opposition). Prior to the vote, the government parties tried to distract from the issue by promisingyet another work group to look into water fluoridation.

But the issue did not go away, just the opposite. Just recently the Girl against Fluoride won the ‘Person of the Year Award’ of the town of Macroom. On the 23 of February the mainstream newspaper Independent published an article with the titel “Argument for Fluoridation doesn’t hold Water“.  And now, just a couple of days later, the same party that voted against the bill in November 2013 has a sudden change of heart?

Far from it. The government has realised that the days of drinking water fluoridation are over. Now with even mainstream media taking up the issue, the threat of a major court case being mounted against the state in the High Court by the anti-fluoride movement, with a number of high caliber expert witnesses to be called  and the real prospect of a defeat, FG tries to get out on the cheap. Having supported the policy of forced medication for decades they now want to look like the good guys by publishing their new paper. They hope that they will not be held accountable for their actions.  They may even think that this trick will result in some votes and perhaps it will. People in Ireland must remember that this is the same party whose leader once said: “Taxing a Family home is immoral”. But once in government they voted through a property tax.  So beware of their promises.

The bottom line is, that the activism of committed people is waking up the populace in Ireland and increasing numbers of people are not willing to put up with being slowly poisoned any longer. The effort to remove fluoride from the water supply is not yet over. The pressure must be maintained. What we have seen so far is that an issue like this which is affecting everyone’s health can unite people across traditional party lines and even result in local politicians acknowledging scientific facts and standing up to the ‘leaders’ of their own parties. This is an encouraging development. There is a real chance that 2014 could become the year when Ireland can free itself from the poison from the tap.