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“Fluoride on the agenda” Port Macquarie News - 14 July 2004 By LISA TISDELL THE controversial issue of fluoridating the Hastings' water supply will come before an expert committee today. The Fluoridation of Public Water Supplies Advisory Committee meets in Sydney today to consider fluoridation of water supplies in the Hastings, Coffs Harbour and Bellingen local government areas. The committee will provide advice to the government on the fluoridation issue. The next step is then for the government through the director general of health Robyn Kruk to either direct the councils to fluoridate or not to fluoridate their water supplies. Mid-North Coast Area Health Service boss Terry Clout said the committee had a clear set of obligations in providing advice and considering all contemporary research, scientific and medical information and evidence for and against fluoridation. "As such, it's a highly professional committee and I'm absolutely certain it will consider all of these issues and provide the best advice it can to the minister and director general," he said. "In my view, the overwhelming credible research and evidence around the world is that fluoridation of water supplies is a safe, effective and efficient means of significantly reducing the dental decay of the whole population, and in particular for those populations that are socio-economically disadvantaged." But the Hastings Safe Water Association remains firm in its opposition to fluoridation, with president Therese Mackay saying the panel was appointed by the minister who was pro-fluoridation. "If the panel had been selected by the community that would have been good but we've been ridden roughshod over," she said. "This (decision) has been handed to the Health Department ... where is the community having a say on this issue?" The Hastings Safe Water Association is calling on the doctors, dentists and the area health service who support fluoridation to sign a declaration stating "fluoride from fluoridation of the water supplies is absolutely safe for general health". Meanwhile, Cr Cameron Price added he was concerned the review of fluoridation by the committee was rubber stamp process rather than a genuine analysis of both sides of the argument.
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