Fluoridation

Press, 27 August 1980, Page 20

Fluoridation

Sir, — Paul Maling’s letter (August 25) makes good sense. The medical profession,* with its fetish for foisting on the unwary and trusting public an endless variety of chemicals with which to pollute their bodies ’ are going too far when they promote compulsory mass medication through fluoridation of the water supplies. The multi-nationals who market this fluoride stuff (which, apart from its use in rat poisons and weedkillers is very hard .to get. rid of, since it is so poisonous) are past masters at jacking up “experimental proofs” of the efficacy of drugs and chemicals they want to hock off, and doctors have traditionally toed the line, their faithful, drugpushing servants. One may as well say: most people get headaches, so we should be mass-medicated with aspirin through the - water supply. Fluoride is readily available in toothpaste ' arid tablets. Let us choose whether or not we want the stuff. — Yours, etc., L. A. HUNT. August 25, 1980. Sir, — The Human Rights Commission has shown its true colours on the fluoridation issue. With ■ statements such as “there were times when the public good outweighed the rights of the individual,” one would expect to find the communist

manifesto or “1984” as the operating handbook of these big brother bureaucrats. Once we allow them .to mass-medicate us “for our own good,” who knows what else they would come up with — tranquillisers in the water supply to keep us more docile and “peace-lov- . ing,” contraceptives to control the population level-— ; all of course:for..“the - public

good.” This is the real issue, not the dental/medical one, although the dangers of polluting our waters with this highly corrosive and toxic by-product of the aluminium industry should not be overlooked. It could be years, even decades, before the true effects of this massmedication come to light. — Yours, etc., FRANK A. SMITH. August 21, 1980.

Sir, — The Human Rights Commission is enforcing its false idea of freedom upon New Zealand individuals once again by fluoridation of water. The choice to have healthy or rotten teeth is being taken away from the individual. If I choose to have rotten teeth, it is my choice and no-one has the right to take that away from me. Sodium fluoride, which has also been used as rat poison, can be taken in tablet form, for those who have bought the medical opinion. Meanwhile I maintain an expensive filtering system to render my water supply fit to drink. My dentist tells me that I have very good teeth and I have not had fillings for five years. Non-fluoridated water does not equal rotten teeth. Lack of nutritional knowledge equals rotten teeth. Let us start emphasising individual responsibility, rather than compulsory mass medication. — Yours, etc., PETER JOHNSON. August 25, 1980.