Water, water everywhere

Mr Toastmaster, fellow toastmasters and guests.

This is a glass of water. Normal, benign tap water from the tap in the bar upstairs. And like all our water in Ireland it contains fluoride. So, do any of you know why fluoride is put in our water?

(It’s good for our (children’s) teeth. It makes us passive). Any other reason? No. Well, X said that it’s good for our (children’s) teeth. Wrong. Irish children’s teeth are not noticeably healthier than children’s teeth in the rest of Europe and Ireland is the only country in Europe with fluoridated water. In fact, fluoride is a poison. A cumulative enzyme poison. It is more toxic than lead. Nearly half the fluoride you ingest stays in your body; for the rest of your life.

The fluoride in our water comes from the Albatros factory in New Ross, Co. Wexford. It is transported all over the country in unmarked tanker trucks. Unmarked trucks! Why the secrecy, you might ask. Well, I’ll tell you. What is in those trucks is a liquid called hydro-fluo-silicic acid; which just happens to be one of the most corrosive substances known to man. You can understand why you mightn’t want to advertise that. Can you imagine what would happen if one of those trucks crashed. Well such an accident did occur; on September 6^th, 1994 in Deltona, Florida. Over 50 people were rushed to hospital, suffering from extreme exposure to fluoride fumes. Another 2300 were evacuated; 200 yards of road was destroyed; and a massive month long cleanup operation was put in place.

Ger, earlier on you suggested that fluoride makes us passive. Well, you’re dead right; it does. In the left lobe of the brain there is a small area which is responsible for our ability to resist domination. True! Repeated frequent fluoride doses will, in time, poison this area, making one submissive. So much so that during WW2, Nazi concentration camp scientists actually proposed fluoride as a means to gain mass control of populations. There’s a scientist; Charles Eliot Perkins; who has spent 20 years studying fluoride. He says "Any person who drinks artificially fluoridated water for a period of one year or more will never again be the same person mentally or physically". Makes you think, doesn’t it. You know the reputation we have as a laid back, easy going nation. Ah! Relax, take it easy. Maybe that’s more by design; than by accident.

You know, there is not one scientific study in the whole world; that suggests fluoride is safe. Not one. I know; I looked. I went surfing in cyberspace. And I found thousands upon thousands of reports highlighting the harmful effects of fluoride. These are just a few of them. You’re all quite welcome to study them afterwards, but here are some the effects mentioned: Significant increases in kidney and diabetes problems, immune system and central nervous system damage, bone cancer in young males, skeletal abnormalities, thyroid problems. I could go on, but I won’t. Now, admittedly not all of the suggested effects have been proven; and some of them can be reversed with decreased exposure; but why would you want to take the risk in the first place.

Why have Irish Doctors and Dentists, as a profession, been insisting for over 40 years that fluoride is safe. Why have none of the thousands of studies and reports been taken into consideration. Why is fluoridation mandatory in Ireland. Why are we the only democracy on earth doing this. Why, in short, is there fluoride in our water. This question was put to our Minister for Health during question time on December 17^th, 1997. And the answer was that fluoridation (and I quote) has been shown to be a safe, effective and efficient public health measure. Rubbish.

Now, I don’t know why we are forced to drink fluoridated water. But I intend to find out. And when I do, I’ll let you know.