Horizons

Are Dublin's traffic-jammed streets driving you insane? Are you pleased with new civic spaces in the city, such as the Liffey Boardwalk and the Smithfield plaza? Do you feel safe walking in the Phoenix Park and other city parks? Are you ashamed of the levels of litter in our capital? Now is your chance to make your voice heard, as Dublin City Development Board is hosting a series of public seminars to debate such issues.

The free seminars will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Royal Dublin Hotel, O'Connell Street, on October 1st; the Marino Institute of Education, Griffith Avenue Dublin 9, on October 3rd; and the Gresham Hotel, O'Connell Street, on October 10th. The aim is to hear from the public in preparation for a new 10-year economic, cultural and social strategy for Dublin.

For further details, phone 1800-202820 or e-mail doce@dublincorp.ie or contact Dublin City Development Board, Dublin Corporation, Wood Quay, Dublin 8.

The town of Midleton in east Cork is today launching what it claims is the first regional centre dedicated to sustainable development, with a seminar on energy and waste management in the home. RT╔ broadcaster and environmentalist Eanna N∅ Lamhna and a spokesperson from the Irish Renewable Energy Centre will spread the word on recycling and energy efficiency in the home. Waste management will also be the theme of the next seminar, on October 6th, with a contribution from Katherine Walshe, senior waste management expert from Cork County Council, among others. Organic gardening and medicinal herbs will be discussed on October 20th.

Admission to each seminar, running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., is £10. Phone 021-4613432 or e-mail info@ecad.ie for details.

"A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right." Barry Groves quotes from Thomas Paine's introduction to Common Sense (1776) in the conclusion to his new book, Fluoride - Drinking Ourselves to Death (Newleaf, £13.40). A former electronic engineer, Groves presents a strong case against the fluoridation of public water supplies. He links public water fluoridation with increased risk of cancer, osteoporosis and Alzheimer's disease and presents studies which refute claims that fluoride reduces dental cavities, especially in children. For instance, the prevalence of dental cavities has also dramatically declined in countries where the water is not fluoridated.

In the book, toxico-pathologist Dr Vyvyan Howard writes that fluoride is recognised as a cumulative toxic substance and that there are certain periods in life - infancy and old age - when the body's ability to detoxify and excrete substances are less than optimal.

The Republic is one of only six countries (the others are the US, Canada, Britain, Australia and New Zealand) where public water is fluoridated on a mass scale. Ireland, according to Groves, has the highest levels of fluoridation in the world; 75 per cent of water is fluoridated with hydrofluorosilicic acid imported from the Netherlands.

In Fluoride - Drinking Ourselves to Death, Groves writes about Irish dentist Don MacAuley and his investigations into the effects of fluoride on public health. MacAuley found that 9 per cent of all water supplies in Ireland exceeded recommended levels of one milligram (mg) fluoride per litre of water and that in 36 years of fluoridation, no Irish government had carried out a public health survey on its effects.

In May 2000, the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, launched a Forum on Fluoridation. Fluoride-Free Water, the anti-fluoridation campaign, described the forum as a "fluoride fiasco". Anti-fluoridation campaigners are planning to field candidates in the next general election. Rest assured, this is a subject you will be hearing more about.

"Organic - The Bright Light of Agriculture" is the optimistic title of this year's annual conference of the Irish Organic Farmers' and Growers' Association. The two-day conference, which was postponed earlier this year due to the foot-and-mouth crisis, takes place on October 12th and 13th in the Gleneagle Hotel, Killarney, Co Kerry. Policy issues will be discussed with presentations from the Department of Agriculture, Teagasc, An Bord Bia and An Bord Glas. Also, newcomers are welcome to join in workshops, visit organic trade stands and network with veteran organic farmers. The conference costs £60 for members and £80 for non-members. Phone 0506-32563 or e-mail iofga@eircom.net

www.millenniumforests.com

Web World

If you've ever wondered about the location of the native Irish trees planted for every household in Ireland, this is the site for you. More than 1,500 acres of native Irish woodland were designated in 16 different sites as a gesture to the new century.

Here you can find out all about the People's Millennium Forests project, check out locations of the touring exhibition (next at the National Ploughing Championships in Ballacolla, Co Laois, October 2nd-to 4th) and take part in a virtual forest game.

horizons@irish-times.ie