Plans to Expand Water Fluoridation Will ‘Make People Ill,’ Campaigners Claim

The government has announced plans to expand water fluoridation in the northeast of England, raising concerns from health campaigners who point to numerous studies linking higher fluoride consumption to lower IQ in children and disease in later life. The proposal to add the fluoride compound to another 1.6 million homes has been put out for public consultation, the Department of Health announced on March 25. Around half of the northeast already has fluoridated water, including parts of County Durham, Gateshead, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Public health authorities maintain that fluoridation at the correct level is safe and effective in preventing tooth decay, with the Health and Care Act of 2022 taking the power to introduce water fluoridation schemes away from local councils and placing it in the hands of central government....