FRIDAY, 4, FEBRUARY, 2011 10 How can the SU keep the top bar going? The fluoride debate has been going on for too long now. It needs to end. We’ve heard all the arguments for and against, and frankly, we don’t care anymore - can you please just stop the moaning? For the last two years the good citizens of Southampton have been bombarded with this tedious fluoride debate that springs up every couple of months and it just seems to go on and on. And on. It reached a completely new level last week, though. A judge actually got involved to sort out the mess. I suppose this is a good thing as it is probably the only way that we can bury this debate once and for all. That is, if the judge de- cides that the scheme is illegal. If not, I don’t think the anti-fluoride campaigners will give it a rest until the fluoride plans are scrapped. There is still hope. The scheme looks unlikely to go ahead, since the local councils will take over health issues next year, as the government plans to scrap Strategic Health Authorities alto- gether. The councils simply can’t afford the bad publicity that would come with the scheme, in which case there won’t be anything to whine about. I don’t understand why people got so wound up about this whole fluoride thing in the first place. As far as I can tell, a small amount of fluoride in our water is good for our teeth and per- fectly harmless. We already have a level of 0.08 parts per million of fluoride in our water, and the Strategic Health Authority simply wants to increase that to 1ppm. This level of fluoride oc- curs naturally in water elsewhere in the coun- try, and the people there don’t seem to suffer from it. The side effects of having too much fluoride is dental fluorosis, which is often mild and mostly affects children. The benefits seem to far outweigh this as fluoride can prevent tooth decay, especially in children. It also seems that the children who most benefit from fluoride are from poorer backgrounds, whose parents might not have the means to take care of their teeth otherwise. However you twist and turn it, the biggest loser in this debate is the children. I suppose you could argue that the debate is not so much about fluoride but about the fact that SHA completely ignored the outcome of the public consulta- tion, which showed that 72% of respondents were against the plans, mak- ing the implementation of the scheme a somewhat undemocratic decision. To that I can only say: shouldn’t we be used to being ignored by now? I mean, it’s not like the fat cat usually listens to what we say about anything. Such as tuition fees, or the war in Iraq. Or fluoride. ionanalysis your view... “In order to keep it open they need to promote the gigs and the venue through better advertis- ing.” Dan, Electronic Engineer- ing - 2nd Year “It is well promoted, it will be a good night but it ends up being quite empty. There is no club atmos- phere.” Meri, Popular Music Per- formance - 3rd Year “I don’t know what it is used for unless it is for events, I don’t think you can just wander up there.” Katherine, Fashion with Photography - 1st Year “More gigs during the week, only having gigs on a Friday or Saturday night, in my free time leaves me having to make a choice.” Gary, Electronic Engi- neering - 2nd Year in my view... by Rannva Danielsen Who flossing cares? INSIDE NEXT WEEK: Comment: Andy Gray and sexism - Why you should have a TV Licence - Solent students talk about the proposed FirstGroup bus cuts... The debate on fluoride reaches the High Court - let’s just get on with it

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This is work I have produced for the student newspaper, I on Solent, during the spring of 2011.

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FRIDAY, 4, FEBRUARY, 201110

How can the SU keep the top bar going?

The fluoride debate has been going on for toolong now. It needs to end. We’ve heard all thearguments for and against, and frankly, wedon’t care anymore - can you please just stopthe moaning?

For the last two years the good citizens ofSouthampton have been bombarded with thistedious fluoride debate that springs up everycouple of months and it just seems to go on andon. And on.

It reached a completely new level last week,though. A judge actually got involved to sort outthe mess. I suppose this is a good thing as it isprobably the only way that we can bury this de-bate once and for all. That is, if the judge de-cides that the scheme is illegal. If not, I don’tthink the anti-fluoride campaigners will give ita rest until the fluoride plans are scrapped.

There is still hope. The scheme looks unlikelyto go ahead, since the local councils will takeover health issues next year, as the government

plans to scrap Strategic Health Authorities alto-gether. The councils simply can’t afford the badpublicity that would come with the scheme, inwhich case there won’t be anything to whineabout.

I don’t understand why people got so woundup about this whole fluoride thing in the firstplace. As far as I can tell, a small amount of flu-oride in our water is good for our teeth and per-fectly harmless. We already have a level of 0.08parts per million of fluoride in our water, andthe Strategic Health Authority simply wants toincrease that to 1ppm. This level of fluoride oc-curs naturally in water elsewhere in the coun-try, and the people there don’t seem to sufferfrom it. The side effects of having too much flu-oride is dental fluorosis, which is often mildand mostly affects children.

The benefits seem to far outweigh this as flu-oride can prevent tooth decay, especially inchildren. It also seems that the children who

most benefit from fluoride are from poorerbackgrounds, whose parents might nothave the means to take care of their teethotherwise. However you twist and turn it,the biggest loser in this debate is the chil-dren.

I suppose you could argue that the de-bate is not so much about fluoride butabout the fact that SHA completely ig-nored the outcome of the public consulta-tion, which showed that 72% ofrespondents were against the plans, mak-ing the implementation of the scheme asomewhat undemocratic decision. To thatI can only say: shouldn’t we be used tobeing ignored by now? I mean, it’s notlike the fat cat usually listens to whatwe say about anything. Such as tuitionfees, or the war in Iraq. Or fluoride.

ionanalysisyour view...

“In order to keep it open

they need to promote the

gigs and the venue

through better advertis-

ing.”

Dan, Electronic Engineer-ing - 2nd Year

“It is well promoted, it will

be a good night but it ends

up being quite empty.

There is no club atmos-

phere.”