Southampton residents angry over fluoride decision

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Local residents in Southampton are angry after a judge gave a water fluoridation scheme the green light.

Residents campaigned against the decision to add fluoride to local water supplies and took their case to court; however, a judge turned down their appeal, stating that the local authority had the power to decide whether or not fluoride should be added to municipal water supplies.

Now, residents feel like they are being treated as guinea pigs by the Department of Health, as heath chiefs are keen to conduct studies on dental fluorosis, a condition which can cause the teeth to appear mottled as a result of overexposure to fluoride. Local people say that it is not fair that children’s dental health will be risked in the name of research.

The plans will mean that 200,000 households in the Southampton area will receive fluoridated water. The Department of Health has confirmed that a major research project into fluorosis is currently underway and the new scheme in Southampton will provide valuable research opportunities. Doug Cross, from the UK Councils Against Fluoridation, said that it was illogical and potentially harmful for research to be carried out after the plan to fluoridate water supplies had already been given the green light; he believes that research should have been carried out before the plans were given the green light.

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