BOLTON is the only town in Britain to have conducted a referendum on the fluoridation of drinking water.

In 1968 fluoridation was massively rejected and in 1988, it was rejected again and Bolton Council joined the 28 Councils of North West Councils Against Fluoridation. In 1992, fluoridation was refused by North West Water.

In the last few weeks, two letters have been printed in the BEN from two members of the British Fluoridation Society urging fluoridation yet again on the people of Bolton (The BFS is a Government quango financed by taxpayers' money promoting fluoridation).

The fluoride used in water fluoridation is hexafluorosilicic acid, the toxic waste liquor scrubbed from the chimneys of the phosphate fertiliser industry.

This contains 19-23pc of fluorine and a cocktail of contaminants such as lead, arsenic, silicon, beryllium and radionuclides.

There is no safety testing data available anywhere in the world to show that this toxic liquor is fit for human consumption. All laboratory research has been carried out using pharmaceutical grade sodium fluoride and distilled/de-ionised water.

The National Pure Water Association presented over 30,000 signatures to Government Ministers in 1998 asking for a Public Inquiry.

This is supported by many organisations. The Government responded by commissioning an "independent" scientific review carried out by an NHS unit at the University of York!

There is great concern among scientists about the narrow criteria for this review which excludes all animal studies, all biochemistry and does not consider the ingestion of fluoride from other sources such as tea and toothpaste.

The criteria has been further narrowed to exclude more than 100 scientific references showing adverse effects of fluoride on the thyroid gland. The York report is due out in September.

Conform

The scientific review has two panels. Lord Baldwin is on the advisory panel and he issued a statement saying: "Any public health measure which treats whole populations must conform to the highest scientific standards. The systematic review of water fluoridation has shown that there is not a single good-quality study in the literature.

"In particular the safety studies are too weak to draw firm conclusions, except that dental fluorosis (which the Government accepts to be an indication of systemic toxicity) appears to be widespread. Nor has any good evidence been found for the claim that fluoridation reduces inequalities in dental health across social groups."

It is very strange that your two correspondents from the BFS -- salaried information officer Sheila Jones and Director Alan McMichael -- are still urging fluoridation, although reluctant to reveal their positions to BEN readers.

Their chairman, Professor Lennon, is also on the advisory panel of the scientific review. He disagrees with Lord Baldwin's statement.

Could it be that he is defending his position as chairman of the British Fluoridation Society and the very existence of his society? It is time this very expensive organisation was dismantled and the taxpayers' money that finances it used to promote better oral health and diet.

North West Councils Against Fluoridation firmly believe in people's rights to choose what medication they wish to take, not to have it enforced in the drinking water. Bolton MP David Crausby is very much opposed to fluoridation and defends the rights of individuals to choose. I urge you to write to him with your views.

Further information from web-site www.npwa.freeserve.co.uk

Liz Vaughan

Information Officer

NW Councils Against Fluoride and Chairman of the National Pure Water Association.