Belgium Bans Gum, Tablets and Drops with Fluoride

BRUSSELS - Belgium said yesterday it would ban the sale of chewing gum, tablets and drops that contain fluoride because officials fear they could cause health problems in people who use them to excess.

The ban, the first of its kind in the European Union (EU), will stop short of removing toothpaste with fluoride from store shelves, Health Ministry adviser Frans Gosselinckx said.

However, a ministry spokesman said that Health Minister Magda Aelvoet wants to discuss with her EU counterparts the possibility of banning the use of fluoride in toothpaste for children.

Belgium's move might prompt renewed debate about the safety of fluoride, which some countries add to public drinking water supplies as a means of improving dental health. Fluoride helps protect teeth from decay.

The ban on fluoride supplements would probably come into force by late August, according to health ministry spokesman Tom Ruts.

''Those products are used excessively and often abused,'' he said.

Fluoride supplement products such as tablets and chewing gum are promoted by dentists to fight tooth decay and are sold in Belgium over the counter without prescription.

The ministry took its decision after the results of a study commissioned by an advisory board to the ministry, Mr Ruts said.

The study found that excessive use of fluoride products could cause fluoride poisoning, damage the nervous system and foster the brittle bone condition osteoporosis.

Although medicines containing fluoride would escape the ban, the ministry will examine their application to determine whether they also posed a health risk.

There was no immediate comment from companies that manufacture fluoride supplement products.

But the secretary-general of the Belgian Dentists Federation said she was surprised by the government's plan.

''This seems absurd,'' Ms Marie-Christine Uzee said. ''It is undeniable that fluoride at reasonable dosages helps fight cavities.''

Ms Aelvoet, a member of the Flemish Green Party, told Humo magazine she hoped her EU partners would follow her example.

''In these cases, a harmonisation within the EU is of course desirable but I can't always wait until the EU is ready,'' she was quoted as saying.

''We will, however, communicate our official decision to the other European member states in the hope that they will follow us swiftly.''

The European Commission spokesman for health and consumer protection, Mr Thorsten Muench, said yesterday that the commission had yet to receive notice of Ms Aelvoet's move.