High Court to decide on Southampton water fluoridation
The issue of fluoridation in Southampton will now go before the High Court.
In 2009, the South Central Strategic Health Authority made the decision to add fluoride to the water supply in Southampton; the SCSHA took the decision on the grounds that adding fluoride would help to improve standards of oral health in the area. The authority went ahead with the decision, despite a public consultation which showed that 72 percent of those who attended were against the motion.
In light of the strong public opinion against the addition of fluoride to Southampton water supplies, local resident Geraldine Miller started a campaign, which turned into a legal challenge against the SCSHA. The case will now go in front of the High Court and a judicial review will determine whether or not the authority considered the perspectives of local people when deciding to add fluoride to community water supplies.
During the consultation, many people raised concerns about fluoride; some questioned the need for fluoride, while others claimed that there were health concerns related to exposure to fluoride. The SCSHA said that it was happy to go ahead with the plan to fluoridate the water supply, as research has proven that adding fluoride to water is completely safe, as well as being an effective means of improving oral health.
Stephen Peckham, chairman of Hampshire Against Fluoridation, said that the authority had acted irresponsibly and not taken the opinions of local people into consideration. He claimed that public opinion is strongly against water fluoridation and said that many people were angered and disappointed by the decision made by the SCSHA in 2009.
Southampton Primary Care Trust first proposed an increase in the level of fluoride in a bid to improve oral health, a motion, which was supported by many dentists. Dr Jeyanti John, consultant in dental public health for the trust, said that water fluoridation schemes had enjoyed great success in many parts of the country and currently more than five million people drink fluoridated water.
Professor Michael Lennon, from the British Fluoridation Society, said that tooth decay is a serious problem and fluoride can help to protect against decay and improve standards of oral health. Professor Lennon suggested that adding fluoride to the water would reduce rates of tooth decay by 40 percent in children and 30 percent in adults; results would be visible within three years.
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I DO NOT WANT FLUORIDE ADDED TO MY WATER I DON’T LIKE THE TASTE OR SMELL OF IT AND I DO NOT WANT IT FORCED ON ME – FLUORIDE WAS ADDED TO SOUTHAPTON WATER AND THE WATER STILL SMELLS AND TASTES OF IT