Sir, – One fundamental point of disagreement in the ongoing fluoridation debate is whether those responsible for carrying out the fluoridation are required to prove that the substances added to our tap water supplies are safe, or whether the anti-fluoridation lobbyists are required to prove that the process is unsafe.
Taking food and medicine as examples, the onus is clearly on manufacturers to test and prove levels of safety before rolling out their products. Why is fluoridation any different (apart from the fact that we cannot easily choose to not consume the water supplied to us)?
Despite decades of increasing concern on this matter, it seems clear that the State has still not proven beyond all doubt that our water is safe to drink. – Yours, etc,
DAVID McGUINNESS,
Grangebrook Avenue,
Dublin 16.