South Dublin County Council vote to remove fluoride from the public water supply- Cllr Danny O Brien

Sinn FéinSouth Dublin County Cllr Danny O Brien has today welcomed the decision of South Dublin County Council to pass his motion to remove fluoride from the public water supply.

Cllr O Brien said:

“Today is a good day for the people of South Dublin as the council has joined with other councils around the country that have passed similar motions. I would like to thank the other councillors who supported my motion to remove fluoride from our water supply. The government needs to listen to the councils and the Minister for Health should act by passing a bill to stop adding unnecessary chemicals to the public water supply.

In 1964, after the 1960 Water Supply Act, fluoride was put into the public water supply to reduce tooth decay rates. However, today people get enough fluoride in their toothpaste. Some countries, e.g. Germany did practice fluoridation however this practice stopped after the German reunification. Nowadays the majority of countries in Europe don’t add fluoride to their water and their tooth decay rates are still falling or remaining the same.

The HSE spends over €4.5 million to add fluoride to the water supply. This money could be put to better use by reducing the number of people on trolley beds around the country.”