I have long been dubious about the use of fluoride in the drinking water as it has many potential side effects. One that I have experienced first hand due to having too many fluoride supplements as a child is permanently discoloured and mottled teeth. However, it has also been suggested that fluoride is also responsible for other complaints such as irritable bowel syndrome (from which I also suffer). This article suggests that overuse of fluoride can raise the risk of disorders affecting the teeth, bones, brain and the thyroid gland. The report published in 2006 recommends that the federal government lowers the current limit for fluoride in drinking water because of the potential risk to health. I’m not entirely convinced that there are any real benefits to adding fluoride to drinking water but I do think that if there are potential health risks associated with it, then it should not be added.
