Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have a copy of a reply from the Minister for Health dated 24 October 2013 which confirms that the matter was not reviewed and that the Irish Medicines Board, which has responsibility and is designated by the Department of Health as a competent authority, believes it is not necessary to accredit fluoridation as medicinal. Why? Surely it should be accredited.

I agree with my colleague, Senator MacSharry, that there is a need for an urgent review. I thank Senators for tabling the motion, which I would love to be able to support. Our party has, however, taken a different view and I have to stand with that. There are serious questions. We are the only country in Europe that adds fluoride to our public drinking water supply, although one can argue that there are small municipal councils across different parts of Europe that add fluoride. The argument was made about other countries, so let us look at the other countries. In France, for example, the head of the Paris directorate for the protection of the environment said that fluoride chemicals are not included in the list of chemicals added to drinking water due to ethical as well as medical considerations. In Norway there was a rather intense discussion on the subject some 20 years ago and the conclusion was reached that drinking water should not be fluoridated. That was from the national institute of public health in Norway. In Sweden, drinking water fluoridation is not allowed by the national food administration drinking water division. Israel was mentioned earlier. In 2013, Israeli health minister, Dr Yael German, stated that water fluoridation poses dangers such as lowered IQ, brittle bones and teeth, and damage to the thyroid gland. It was ruled that water fluoridation is unconstitutional, emphasising that it is dangerous and that the science defending the practice is outdated and no longer widely accepted.