Do you feel like you have been fully informed about all aspects of water fluoridation? Fluoride Free NZ is on a mission to raise awareness to Kiwis about the harmful effects associated with water fluoridation. The main issues they have identified are health risks (including more harm than good in terms of dental health), the Bill of Rights Act regarding the right to refuse medical treatment, and the impact on the environment.
Fluoride Free NZ and NZ Doctors Speaking Out With Science are seeking your support to sign their petition to protect our health and environment from the effects of fluoride exposure. Read on for more information and a link to the petition.
From Fluoride Free New Zealand …
Health Risks: Fluoride is a neurotoxin, meaning it damages the brain. Studies have shown conclusively that exposure to fluoride, especially in children (and formula-fed babies in particular), lowers IQ levels. This is an extreme concern for the brain function of the next generation.
Lack of Consent: Water fluoridation forces everyone to take a supposed ‘medication’ without their consent. Informed consent is a fundamental principle of medical ethics, and fluoridation bypasses this right for all citizens. New Zealanders are still waiting for the Bill of Rights review that the court ordered the Director General of Health (DGoH) to undertake.
More Harm Than Dental Goodness: Over 40% of teenagers in New Zealand display some degree of dental fluorosis, which manifests as discoloured and pitted teeth. This condition clearly indicates overexposure to fluoride, which can have lifelong negative impacts on dental health and self esteem.
Effectiveness Questioned: Modern research has shown zero to minimal difference in tooth decay rates between communities that fluoridate their water and those that do not. This calls into question the necessity of exposing the entire population to fluoride. More effective public health advice is to brush teeth and to avoid the consumption of fizzy drinks and juices.
Environmental Impact: The fluoride compounds added to water are toxic industrial by-products that are illegal to dispose of in nature. Their use in our water systems can lead to environmental pollution, harming aquatic life and ecosystems. Yet these, chemicals which are unfit for our environment, are sold to our councils to add to our waterways for a profit.
Act Now – Sign the Petition! Your Signature is Crucial in Our Fight to Stop this Practice
From NZ Doctors Speaking Out With Science …
In a significant legal challenge, Fluoride Free New Zealand and NZDSOS took on the Hastings District Council regarding the issue of water fluoridation. We requested that the Council pause fluoridation until the Bill of Rights assessment had been completed by the DGoH. The courts did not uphold our request.
When imposing costs for this legal challenge, the judge stated ‘while the applicants clearly consider they are acting in a public interest, in reality the case reflected the special interests of their members’ and ‘their claim was about advancing the special interests of its members rather than the wider public interest.’
We disagree and think that if New Zealanders were asked a large proportion of people would be opposed. Furthermore, the population has not been fully informed about all aspects of water fluoridation (we’ve only had glossy promotional material short on the truth).
In order to demonstrate to the courts that those who oppose mass fluoridation of water are not a fringe minority, as the judge claimed, we need thousands of signatures on the parliamentary petition. By doing this, we have the chance to avoid the hefty court fees we and Fluoride Free NZ have incurred by challenging the Hastings District Council. Your signature is crucial in our fight to stop this practice and save us tens of thousands in court fees, which are normally waived in public interest cases.
Once you have signed the petition, please forward this email & share our blog post to your friends, family, and colleagues. Every signature counts.
If your region’s water is not currently fluoridated, it may well be shortly so please get involved. The DGoH has a list of the next 26 councils to be directed.
Let’s keep making our voices heard. Protect our health and environment from needless fluoride exposure.
If we get enough signatures, we will prove to the government that plenty give a damn and the costs must be dropped in this case.
Dr Alison Goodwin – On Behalf of NZ Doctors Speaking Out With Science (@NZDSOS)
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