A letter to the Irish Times
Sir, – The Irish Expert Body (IEB) on water fluoridation bases its current policy on presumptions of safety at public water levels of 0.6-0.8 milligrams/litre. This perception fails to account for the fact that a lifelong ingestion of public fluoridated water, in addition to it’s ubiquitous presence in widely consumed commercial foods, like beverages, teas, ice-creams and soy products, may give rise to levels that exceed optimum safety, and thereby raise the risk of toxic effects involving skeletal structures, thyroid tissue, reproductive organs and neurological systems in adults and children.
The US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry lists fluoride as among the top 20 of 275 substances that pose the most significant threat to human health, a statement that raises serious questions about current assertions regarding fluoride safety and overall health benefits.
The recently published Harvard study has prompted researchers to concede the possibility of adverse effects of fluoride exposure on children’s neuro-development.
The IEB is now challenged to refute these findings and their implications for the future health of Irish children.
Dr NEVILLE WILSON,
Medical Director.
The Leinster Clinic,
Maynooth,
Co Kildare.
