Cumbrians Against Fluoridation - campaigning for fluoride-free water in West Cumbria

About Cumbrians Against Fluoridation

Cumbrians Against Fluoridation was formed in 1999 to give a cohesive voice to the local opposition to water fluoridation. Led by Dianne Standen of Maryport and Mary Lawley of Keswick, it has been supported on protests and events over the years by many local people who object to this medication of their water supply without information or consent.

History

Actions taken by the group include:

• The picketing of North West Water at Siddick with the longest protest banner in the West! We later returned to this site under its new management United Utilities and dumped sackfuls of plastic bottles to illustrate the volumes of this material that were littering our environment and landfills as a result of local people opting to use bottled rather than fluoridated water.
• Through funds donated by Friends of the Earth we arranged testing of fluoride levels for 30 local people. Many readings were in excess of the 3mg/ml per litre that North West Water had advised could lead to skeletal problems over time.
• We have taken our protest and presence to the various unelected Health Bodies that have had local responsibility for this action over the past decade. Most of these have been covered by TV , Radio and local papers.
• We requested Allerdale Council cease support of water fluoridation. After a long campaign and often heated hearings they finally agreed at full Council in 2001.
• We regularly visit the West Cumbrian towns with information and campaigns and are reassured by the support we generally receive there.

We have had many meetings with Tony Cunningham our MP on this issue but no representations on his part to the Department of Health and various Ministers have resulted in any accurate information or action. We are still awaiting a reply to our latest letter to Tony Cunningham, MP. (Check Tony Cunningham's performance in Parliament.)

Membership

We keep in touch with our supporters through newsletters, either printed or delivered by email. There is no membership fee (though we appreciate contributions to cover printing and postage) and no obligation to attend meetings or actions unless people are willing to do so.

We like to design protests that are effective but easily undertaken such as the ongoing postcard campaign focussed on the effects of dental fluorosis.

Cumbrians Against Fluoridation believes that West Cumbria is amongst the 10% of Britain that has been fluoridated for nearly 40 years because local opposition has not been strong or articulate enough to fight off or resist use of this untested, unresearched material in our water.

We know that health problems in which fluoride is either a cause or factor are out there in West Cumbria but simply unreported, unidentified. We believe that many who live in this area may be suffering ill-effects as a result of drinking fluoridated water, without realising that this is the cause. As the generations born since the 1970s get older, the accumulation of fluoride in their bodies will become a real problem.

We urge all local people to add their voice to ours and get this unwanted medication, which we pay for but have never asked for, removed from our water NOW!

To become a supporter, contact (01900 813378).

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