Israel commenced water fluoridation in the 1980s when all major cities were fluoridated. In 2002, Israel enacted national legislation similar to Ireland mandating that all public water supplies throughout the country must be fluoridated. In his affidavit Mr. Leshem stated that when he was employed by the Health Ministry to oversee the water fluoridation programme the department “followed the recommendations of dentists and staff were not allowed to ask questions. Today many studies indicate health risks but the State continues to ignore these studies.”

Mr Leshem, now a retired from public office and working as a strategic environmental consultant changed his mind about water fluoridation following publication of the U.S. National Research Council report on Fluoride (2006) and subsequent independent scientific reports including numerous studies written by Cork based independent Environmental Scientist Declan Waugh. Mr Waugh’s reports addressed in detail the contribution of fluoride intoxication to disease burdens in fluoridated countries such as Ireland, Israel, Australia, New Zealand and North America. His work has been supported by leading members of the United States National Academies including Professor Hardy Limeback, Professor Robert Isaacson and Dr. Kathleen Thiessen.

Only a few countries in the world continue to support fluoridation of drinking water supplies. The Republic of Ireland remains the only country in the European Continent with a mandatory legislative policy mandating that all public water supplies be fluoridated with Hexafluorosilicic acid, a chemical manufactured in Spain. Hexafluorosilicic acid is also listed in the EU as a banned biocidal product under the EU Biocidal Directive.

The Supreme Court decision in Israel overturns recently enacted legislation by the Minister for Health Yael German, who is also opposed to water fluoridation, which negated the requirement for mandatory fluoridation but still allowed local authorities to fluoridate water supplies if they so desired. The Court rules that all public water fluoridation programmes must cease by 2014.

Recently Waugh wrote to the Israeli Minister for Health outlining how within less than a decade of commencement of water fluoridation inflammatory respiratory diseases such as asthma increased by 100% in young adults in Israel. Since commencement of water fluoridation in Ireland in the late 1960s the prevalence of asthma has increased by 500% where it now affect approximately half a million people and one in five children 12 years of age. Ireland now has one of the highest prevalences of asthma in the world, levels that are only to be found in fluoridated countries. According to Waugh “Scientific studies have clearly demonstrated that Fluoride is a pro-inflammatory agent that can contribute to all inflammatory diseases, not just asthma.”

In the last year Mr. Waugh has also assisted communities in New Zealand, Australia, Canada and USA in ending decades of fluoridation as well as preventing fluoridation programmes from commencing. His blog on fluoride ([link]ffwireland.blogspot.ie[/link]) is read in over eighty countries worldwide and he work on fluoride has recently been the subject of major investigative reporting by Hotpress Magazine. This October Waugh has been invited to be a keynote speaker at the largest international fluoride conference in the world, which is taking place in Tehran Medical University.