I HAVE just received my copy of the BEN and cannot believe that you have allowed a member of the powerful anti-fluoride lobby to take up nearly half of the letters page with a letter of over 700 words - that isn't a letter it is an essay!

Furthermore, the person responsible for this rambling didn't even have the decency to reveal their name and address - how do we know they are local?

As for saying the majority of people in Bolton oppose fluoridation, on what research do they base this assumption? I live in Dr Iddon's constituency and have never been asked for my opinion. As with any lobby group they are trying to distort the facts and public opinion. Instead of having a reasoned argument about the pros and cons of fluoridation they try and whip up hysteria and paranoia using examples from far away countries like India. There are areas of the UK such as the West Midlands which have fluoridated water yet when I go there I don't see anyone clutching their throats screaming "poison, poison" and suing the water authority.

Anyone knows the best way to get public opinion on your side is to demoralise the opposition - a tactic used by the Murdoch Press over Europe. What I would like to see now is the BEN provide the opportunity for the pro-fluoride lobby to contribute a 700 word article giving facts about the benefits of fluoride and perhaps dispelling the hysterical ramblings of the anti-fluoride lobby.

P Osbourne

Loxham Street, Moses Gate

Bolton

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.