Click photo to enlarge
Olive McRae holds a glass of non-fluoridated water. Photo
by Gerard O'Brien.
A young mother ensconced in an organic farming
community north of Dunedin is leading the charge against the
city's fluoridated water supply, convinced those who drink it
risk exposing themselves to toxic side effects. But why,
exactly, should we listen? Chris Morris investigates.
Hidden behind the security fences inside Dunedin's Mt Grand
water treatment plant, a small piece of metal inside a
plastic pipe slowly rotates.
The metal device is called an auger, and its job is simple -
it chips away tiny pieces of a soft-looking white substance
oozing from inside the pipe.
The white flakes drop into another pipe and disappear,
whisked away to mix with Dunedin's drinking water.
It is a process that continues throughout each day, and it is
supposed to be a good thing.
The white flakes are bits of sodium silicofluoride - or,
simply, fluoride - a chemical added to Dunedin's drinking
water since 1966, and now piped to 85% of the city's homes.
It is a public health measure credited by health
professionals with reducing rates of tooth decay by 15%, and
is described by the United States-based Centres for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) as one of the top 10 public
health achievements of the 20th century.
But there is another view - held by some internationally and
by a small but committed band of campaigners in Dunedin -
that sees fluoridation not as a saviour, but as unwanted
"mass medication".
Put simply, opponents fear all who drink fluoridated water
risk being poisoned.
It is a bold claim that has sparked heated exchanges, both
within the Dunedin City Council's chambers, in email
correspondence and through newspapers' letters to the editor
sections across the country.
It appears a David and Goliath struggle - those opposed to
fluoride are taking on the weight of Dunedin's medical
institutions, including the University of Otago School of
Dentistry, Public Health South and the Otago District Health
Board, as well as the Ministry of Health, who all support
water fluoridation.
However, anti-fluoride campaigners can claim some successes,
after arguing their case with such vehemence that Dunedin
city councillors voted for a "compromise" agreement on the
city's fluoridation policy at a meeting on November 3.
After weeks of lobbying, many councillors were left admitting
they could not decide between the various claims and
counter-claims. Instead, they voted to maintain the existing
split between fluoridated and non-fluoridated areas of the
city, and committed to community consultation before any
changes.
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