Warning labels – a modest proposal

The nanny state

Sir, – Now that we have covered alcohol and tobacco, we can move on to other dangers to human health, such as most processed foods, sugar and full-fat milk.

An important and pressing case, however, is water.

Drinking water in excessive quantities is known to be bad for your health. In fact, imbibing too much water is known to be fatal. Water also reduces the effectiveness of brakes on automotive vehicles, leading to increased levels of accidents, injury and death. It corrodes a variety of metals, weakening structures that can result in collapsing buildings and bridges. It is a well-known carrier of diseases including some, like cholera, that are fatal.

Putting the occasional warning notice on beaches and river banks is not enough. The public needs to be protected from itself.

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Every bottle of water, drainpipe and tap in the country should have a health warning label attached forthwith.

Finally, the Government should consider putting a tax on water to discourage consumption. – Yours, etc,

FRANK E BANNISTER,

Dublin 4.