I was handed a flyer while walking through the Cultural Centre (the whole area is currently chocked-full with circus-style tents; a double-decker bus parked on the esplanade advertising ticket sales; men pushing huge steam-punk styled machinery about) – and discovered that there’s a certain sub-section of the Perth population who really should be doing something better with their time.

Such as attending events at the Fringe World festival. Just a thought.

This particular group were handing out flyers about a forthcoming meeting this month, all about being fearful of fluoride in the water. Very earnest, very young activists – mostly targeting any single folk walking across the esplanade. I fell into that category and was approached by a young woman.

I briefly glanced at the flyer (let’s face it – it’s Fringe Festival time: I can’t go five meters across the CBD without collecting half a dozen comedy gig advertisements, two brochures about dramatic performances presented in a box conducted entirely in Ukrainian and a French burlesque show where it’s BYO raincoat… don’t ask) and asked one question:

“Who exactly are the people behind the conspiracy to put fluoride in the water and why are they doing it?”

And essentially I got a fervent response about The System and The Man. Telling them that I had some scientific schooling and doubted the authenticity of their claims only made them more fervent, and I had to brush them off by walking quickly away with a “No, thank you”.

Ah, The System and The Man. I hear they’re the ones who fly planes into buildings that belong to their own country, force subliminal messages into our reality TV and… well, put nasty, nasty fluoride into our drinking water.

Yes, that’s a stereotypical summation of the conspiratorial thinker and terribly dismissive – but when responding to the question “who exactly is doing this and why?” …it’s something that conspiracy theorists get wobbly about explaining coherently.

The claim that there’s huge concerns about fluoride in the West Australian water is exactly that – a conspiracy and should be treated as such.

They even recently got onto the Perth Skeptics meetup group and started promoting their meetup, without any peer-reviewed evidence that I could see to back up their claims as to how nasty fluoride is. I consider this to be spam that promotes a pseudoscientific approach to a matter regarding health, which isn’t really what a skeptics group should be doing.

Additional information as to why fluoride in water is not something to be particularly concerned about:

Cancer Council of Western Australia: Cancer myth – Fluoride and cancer

In 2007, Australian National Health and Medical Research (NHMRC) published a report explaining the systematic research review conducted of 5,418 citations. After reviewing each study individually 77 citations were deemed to be of good quality. From these articles the NHMRC were able to recommend the continuation of fluoridating the water supply.

Health Department of Western Australia:

In Western Australia, the addition of fluoride to a public drinking water supply is not permitted unless the water supply authority is directed by the Minister for Health and done in accordance with the Fluoridation of Public Water Supplies Act 1966 (External link) (Act). The Advisory Committee for the Fluoridation of Public Water Supplies is a committee established under the Act to provide advice and recommendation to the Minister for Health in regards to the fluoridation of public water supplies in the state. For more information about the committee and the process a water supply is fluoridated, go to theAdvisory Committee for the Fluoridation of Public Water Supplies webpage.

Health Department of Queensland: (pdf):

Every person of every age benefits from drinking fluoridated water throughout their life. Children benefit as soon as their teeth are formed and elderly people keep their teeth for longer – fluoride reduces their chances of developing tooth decay.

Australian Dental Association: http://www.ada.org.au…

The facts: Water fluoridation has been one of the most widely studied and endorsed public health measures of all time. World Health Organisation : “Fluoridation of water supplies significantly improves dental health…” and “…fluoridation of water supplies, where possible, is the most effective public health measure for the prevention of dental decay.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention : “Fluoridation of community drinking water is a major factor responsible for the decline in dental caries (tooth decay) during the second half of the 20th century…” They also describe the fluoridation of drinking water as one of the “10 Greatest Public Health Achievements in the 20th Century.”

Orac (Dr David Gorski) of Science Blogs presents information one of the presenters, Dr. Paul Connett, who is promoted by the Perth anti-fluoride group – Anti-fluoridation crankery? How quaintly 1960s! I only wish it weren’t on ScienceBlogs:



Well, yes, water fluoridation would be unethical if it were indeed ineffective and dangerous, but it is not. It would also cost a hell of a lot of money for no benefit. As for the argument that, even if fluoridation were effective, it would still violate informed consent, well, that’s actually a political and ethical argument about acceptable and desirable public health measures, not a scientific argument. It’s perfectly fine to make that argument, if that’s what you believe, but it never ceases to irritate me how, like “health freedom” supporters of alternative medicine, anti-fluoridation activists seem to feel compelled to make their resistance to policy sound like a scientific argument.

Mike Morgan on The Conversation Website: How fluoride in water helps prevent tooth decay:

A good way to approach conspiracies (9/11, truthers, fluoride, etc) is to politely ask – “Who do you think is the system / the bad guys and why do they do this?” – evidence as to who “THEY” are never comes across as particularly convincing.

In addition, I highly recommend checking out every flyer and review the information about events that you’re handed during the Fringe Festival – just in case you’re really trying being sold on something that just isn’t worth attending.

You’d be doing the same for any show being advertised after all, right?