Fluoridation 'not dangerous'

2004-08-30 15:38

Cape Town - There is no conclusive evidence to show the addition of fluoride to drinking water in South Africa poses a health risk to people with a decreased immune function, such as those with HIV and Aids, says the department of health.

Water fluoridation had been carried out for over 50 years in a number of countries, and its safety and cost-effectiveness proved by research and published in reputable scientific journals over this period, health department oral health director Dr Johan Smit said on Monday.

He was responding to an earlier warning by a Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) water expert that plans to add fluoride to South Africa's drinking water was "potentially a problem" for malnourished people with compromised immune systems, as well as those with HIV.

In a statement sent to Sapa, Smit said all water supplies in South Africa contained naturally-occurring fluoride at various concentrations.

"Fluoridation means to only adjust the concentration to an optimum level of 0.7mg/l in those water supplies where the concentration is too low to have maximum dental benefits," he said.

About 50 water providers in South Africa had been exempted from recently-enacted fluoridation legislation because their water supplies were in fact already at optimum or higher concentrations.

"People with malnutrition and HIV and Aids living in these areas have not experienced any toxic effects from the fluoride in their drinking water, except from moderate dental fluorosis where the concentration was about two to three mg/l.

"There is inconclusive evidence that fluoride poses a health risk to humans with a decreased immune function, for example those with HIV and Aids," Smit said.

On Wednesday last week, Bettina Genthe of Environmentek, a business unit of the CSIR, told parliament's water affairs portfolio committee that malnutrition "makes fluoride more toxic than it is to people who are well nourished".

In an obvious reference to the country's Aids pandemic, she said "a large percentage of the population... already have a compromised immune system; this (fluoridation) just adds more fuel".

Speaking to Sapa after last week's meeting, Genthe said scientific studies had shown fluoridation posed a "potential problem" for those with HIV.

"It's potentially a problem; we're not 100% sure.

"Not on humans specifically, but in the test tube... it appears to be that fluoride can be toxic at very low concentrations to immune system cells.

Gentha said it was best to "err on the side of safety".

"If we think something is potentially harmful or toxic, especially with malnourished people... I think we need to hold off."

As far as she knew, none of South Africa's municipalities had started adding fluoride to their drinking water systems.

- SAPA