Fluoride Free New Zealand and New Zealand Doctors Speaking Out With Science take legal action against Hastings District Council over Fluoridation.
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has today issued an announcement that ALL water supplies that are fluoridated should reduce the amount of fluoride chemicals being added to their water to a concentration of 0.7ppm regardless of where it was previously set. The previous target was a range of 0.7ppm – 1.2ppm.
The Ministry of Health recommendation for New Zealand is 0.7ppm to 1ppm. The 23 out of 67 councils that have fluoridation mostly follow the recommendation with the aim of adding fluoride to 0.85ppm. This is now 0.15ppm more than the US maximum.
Fluoride Free New Zealand is calling for councils to urgently implement a moratorium on fluoridation.
“It is obvious that fluoridation is on its way out and what we are now seeing is a PR campaign being played out by the HHS to get themselves out of fluoridation without ever admitting that it was a big mistake” says Ms Byrne, national coordinator for Fluoride Free New Zealand.
The HHS says that fluoride levels need to be reduced as record numbers of children are developing some form of dental fluorosis. 40% of US children are afflicted. New Zealand has similar rates with the Ministry of Health’s 2009 Oral Health Survey also finding 40% in both fluoridated and non-fluoridated areas. New Zealand studies that looked specifically at dental fluorosis found around 15% in nonfluoridated areas and 30% in fluoridated areas, a clear sign that fluoridation itself is causing 15% of children in fluoridated areas to develop dental fluorosis.
According to all scientific research dental fluorosis is caused by a child ingesting too much fluoride while the teeth are developing.
“Fluoride is a toxic substance and there is absolutely no bodily requirement for it. What we are seeing is that fluoride is damaging teeth not protecting them. The question also becomes what it is doing to the rest of the body? ” says Ms Byrne.
Fluoride has been linked to a multitude of adverse health effects with opponents claiming it interferes with brain and thyroid development.
Two studies have been published this year which looked at data from fluoridated communities. The first is a large study conducted by researchers at the University of Kent who found that fluoridation increased rates of under active thyroid in women by 60%. This study looked at 98% of UK GP practices; meaning that just about the entire UK population was included. Only 10% of the UK population receives fluoridated water.
The second study was conducted in the US which showed ADHD rates increased as fluoridated communities increased. According to the US Fluoride Action Network “43 of the 50 human studies have found that elevated fluoride exposure is associated with reduced IQ, while 32 of the 34 animal studies found that fluoride exposure impairs the learning and/or memory capacity of animals. The human studies, which are based on IQ examinations of over 11,000 children, provide compelling evidence that fluoride exposure during the early years of life can damage a child’s developing brain”
Fluoride Free New Zealand says that it is high time the Ministry of Health and the remaining councils that have fluoridation, stop putting peoples health at risk.
“Fluoridation is following smoking, leaded petrol, asbestos and 245T. We are one of only a handful of countries that still have fluoridation, let’s not earn the embarrassing status of being the last”.
ENDS
Mary Byrne
Fluoride Free New Zealand
www.fluoridefree.org.nz
027 361 5951
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