On Thursday the Hastings Council debated the future of fluoride in Hastings drinking water.
Here’s a report from the scene of action by fluoride opponent Angela Hair …
Thanks for all your emails to the Councillors over the past 24 hours. The full Council met with the senior members of the DHB in attendance. The DHB were given the opportunity to speak on the subject, including the latest report from Europe released on 15 June, and were questioned extensively by Councillors. Neither the Fluoride Action Network, myself, Gavin Kenny, Girvan Roberts or Ben Warren were invited to present an opposing view in this meeting.
There was strong advocacy from Councillors Anne Wilson-Hunt, Henare O’Keefe, Keriana Poulain, Rod Heaps and Mayor Yule to allow the people of Hastings to have a say as to whether fluoride should remain in the Hastings water supply.
Councillor Bowers put to Council that the status quo should remain with Council officers talking with DHB to reduce the amount of fluoride in the water (0.7mg/L was suggested). Councillors Norm Speers, Tania Kerr, Mandy Kimber, Robert Burnside, Cynthia Bowers, Derek Brownrigg, and Kevin Watkins voted for the status quo, while Councillors Anne Wilson Hunt, Henare O’Keefe, Keriana Poulain, Rod Heaps, Wayne Bradshaw and Mayor Yule voted against the motion.
The final result was 7 for the status quo and 6 against. Absent were Mick Lester and Margaret Twigg.
The DHB acknowledged that despite information gathered from children in the 1950s for study purposes, no long term studies of how fluoride may be affecting our population has been carried out. They also acknowledge that the best way to deliver fluoride to teeth is topically, but say it is not the most cost-effective way.
There is a huge opportunity to do research on Hastings people, which I will pursue with DHB because we are unique in having had fluoridated water for 58 years.
Kind regards,
Angela Hair
As well as the issue of fluoride it is of interest that a 7-6 vote was recorded with the Mayor and Deputy Mayor on opposing sides.
It begs the question with no studies in the 58 years of Fluoride in HDC water, on what basis were the members voting?
Surely the cart has been put before the horse.
On the brighter side it could be argued that the 7-6 vote indicates HDC members are not following my leader, as we have had in Napier for 3 or 4 terms as division voting confirms.
HDC and DHB have failed to undertake obvious monitoring of the imposition of fluoride in a domestic supply paid for by captive ratepayers whether or not they agreed with the additive.
Angela is exercising community responsibility paid members should have done in seeking a study that should have been undertaken as a prerequisite to fluoride being added to the domestic supply in the first place.
A reasonable period would have been 10 years not an open-ended 58 years plus.
An obvious study comparison is with Napier residents whose domestic water is from the same aquifer un-tampered with.
A vote should not have been taken when sailing in the dark without study data to make sound judgments on behalf of the community at large.
It is good to see that common sence has prevailed and Hastings will retain flurodation; by comparison, here in Whanganui the level of decay amoungst the young and lower-socio-economic members of our ocmmunity is noticeable and our District health Board is applying significant resources into preventative care and education.
It does however make you wonder if applying fluoride would be a small 'democratic' compromise with a significant benefit to the wider community. After all we do apply iodine into bread….
Fluoride doesn't work by swallowing so I suggest, Mr Hyde, that you do some research on the subject. Too many people in this country have a religious-like belief in our health authorities and think that whatever they say is gospel. Fluoride, even at levels we are exposed to in fluoridated towns adn cities, is now known to effect the thyroid. There are also 23 published stuidies from four different countries showing fluoride lowers IQ in children. The last two studies done in New Zealand on fluoride only looked at teeth and they found that 30% of children in fluoridated areas had some form of dental fluorosis, which is the first sign of fluoride poisoning as opposed to only 15% in non-fluoridated areas. Dental health is all about diet, thank goodness the children in Whanganui aren't also being poisoned by the local body councillors like they are in other areas.
I am very against Floride in the water, why do we have to add to what God has made,Nobody Knows what the long tearm affect is,and there is always a down side to every drug. I would wish that I had Napiers water, and are very un happy with our council, Jocelyn mason
As an expat Kiwi whose parents still live in Hawke's Bay and who has had the opportunity of seing how things workin other parts of the world, I am honestly shocked at the arrogance of authorities who believe they are entitled to decide on what is best for citizens' health and actually think they have a right to decide what enters a person's body.
Here in Germany, that would be a gross violation of constitutional rights – the right to physical inviolability, the right of self-determination.
But aren't such rights universal?
Even if someone believes I am better off getting a certain substance – is it not my personal right to cho0se?
What in the world justifies involuntary mass medication?!