Water fluoridation also an issue
In no way can Ireland be considered a developed country as far as the quality of its water is concerned.
There is, though, one controversial health issue which was not raised in the article and that is water fluoridation.
Some people mistakenly believe that the fluoride present in our water is the same as the pharmaceutical grade product found in toothpastes.
However, the fluoride added to our water is fluorosilic acid, which is a by-product of the manufacturing of phosphate fertiliser.
There is a great deal of scientific evidence which suggests that water fluoridation is linked to cancer, bone disorders, dental fluorosis, osteoporosis, thyroid illnesses and other diseases, and that it is an enzyme inhibitor.
In April 2006, a paper by then Harvard University student Dr Elise Bassin, based on her 2001 doctoral thesis, was published through the mainstream journal Cancer Causes and Control.
In it, Dr Bassin claimed that boys who are exposed to water fluoridation between the ages of six and eight have a five-fold chance of developing osteosarcoma, a rare and usually fatal form of bone cancer, some years later.
Ireland is the only country in Europe which fluoridates its water as a matter of official policy while the rest of Europe rejects it on health grounds.
Even though a 2002 Government-appointed forum report decided to reduce the levels of fluoride in our water by half, it is questionable whether this is being strictly monitored.
People in Ireland (with the exception of Northern Ireland) drinking this water — in addition to cooking, eating foods and consuming drinks made from it — are ingesting high levels of fluoride.
We need to ask why a toxic substance, which accumulates in the body, is believed to be safe to ingest by Government and health authorities. It is time this scientifically unsound practice was abolished.
Sean Fleming
13 Cuan Glas
Bishop O Donnell Rd
Galway
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
