There's a chance Port Macquarie residents could have their say on whether they would like council to continue to add fluoride to the water supply or otherwise. This is a three part series created to help the community make an informed decision, if the poll goes ahead.
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The main argument against water fluoridation by the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council is people believe residents have not been given a choice in the decision or appropriately informed about the possible adverse health effects.
Port Macquarie-Hastings Councillor and Deputy Mayor Lisa Intemann was one of the councillors at the February 19 meeting who voted to progress the poll to the next stage.
She said residents weren't asked their opinion before fluoridation started and many might not know whether fluoride is added to the Port Macquarie-Hastings water supply.
She supports the poll so people can be better informed and have their say.
Cr Intemann said there is a lot of effort put into promoting the potential dental benefits of water fluoridation, but the potential for adverse effects on the human body is rarely openly discussed.
The poll on water fluoridation would be voluntary for voters and the result is not binding to the council.
"It's purely information about community opinion for council to consider," Cr Intemann said.
Cr Intemann said there was no real consultation with the Port Macquarie-Hastings community in 2004, when it was decided fluoride would be added to the water supply.
"Back then even the dental argument didn't stack up, with the then latest NSW dental statistics showing the mostly unfluoridated areas of the Mid North Coast had lowers rates of childhood decay than four of the five health areas of 100 per cent fluoridated Sydney," she said.
"Since then more evidence has also emerged about potential adverse effects on general health. We are more than just our teeth."
If most people vote in favour of water fluoridation, then council is not required to do anything differently.
However, if most people say they do not prefer water fluoridation, the council will have to consider how to progress.
For example, Cr Intemann said council could provide the results to NSW Health and request further discussions.
"Council could also be more active in providing information to the community, such as the latest dental data and how to avoid over-consumption of fluoride," she said.
"It's a lifetime thing and fluoride can accumulate in the body."
A poll of electors was conducted by the former Port Macquarie Council in 1991 and coincided with the local government elections that year, where most voters participated.
The result of the poll was 71 per cent of the electors that participated in the poll did not want fluoride added to the water supply, which was accepted by the council at the time.
Retired resident John Lusk has a PhD in geology from McMaster University, Ontario, Canada and was employed at Sydney's Macquarie University over three decades.
Dr Lusk became interested in fluoride after attending an anti-fluoridation presentation by ex- navy dentist, Dr Caree Alexander in Port Macquarie a decade ago.
D Lusk and his wife lived in Sydney for 29 years where they saw a family dentist, who had nothing but praise for fluoride.
Dr Lusk had a worn lower jaw molar tooth with minor long-term decay, which his Sydney dentist did not treat, but claimed would benefit from annual treatments with concentrated fluoride solution.
The Lusks retired to Dunbogan in 2004, and 10 years later to Port Macquarie where they drank only unfluoridated tank water for 15 years.
"In spite of no fluoride, my over 70-year-old molar is still in place and still no problem," Dr Lusk said.
A majority of dentists say fluoride is beneficial for teeth, Dr Lusk said, however they are largely ignorant of detrimental health issues it poses for other parts of the body.
In contrast, Dr Lusk said one dentist, Dr Geoffrey Smith, has conducted research and suggests there is serious risk of overdose from the substance.
"Fluoride can be harmful: the key question is at what concentration does it become toxic to the body?," Dr Smith wrote in the New Scientist in 1983.
Dr Lusk said a poll on water fluoridation is essential because it's democracy at work.
"I'd like to encourage council to please repeat what they did in 1991," he said.
In 1991 there was a forum organised by council, with three people on each side given the opportunity to voice their arguments.
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