Paloma Migone | Radio NZ | 19 Dec 2014
A new code of practice for the use of fluoride in drinking water supplies has been released by Water New Zealand.
The code was partially funded by the Ministry of Health, and includes measures such as having independent checks of water fluoridation plants and an automatic shutdown if fluoride exceeds 1.2 milligrams per litre of water.
John Pfahlert, the chief executive of Water New Zealand, which represents the water sector, said the code of practice was released to help inform councils about the advantages and procedures of water flouridation.
“It also can be picked up and used by community groups who are perhaps concerned about fluoridation that is being discussed by a local council,” he said.
“It’s not trying to push fluoridation. That’s a decision for local councils and communities to make together. What we’re trying to do is make sure they have good information at their disposal.”
New code won’t remove controvery – LGNZ
The flouridation of drinking water has been aimed at protecting people’s teeth against tooth decay – but not everyone agrees with its benefits.
Councils in Hamilton and South Taranaki, for example, have recently found themselves in expensive court battles with anti-fluoride campaigners.
Local Government New Zealand president Lawrence Yule welcomed the code but said it did not take away the controversy of the practice.
“I think it’s helpful for people that are using fluoride, but I think by far the biggest issue is around whether in fact fluoride should or shouldn’t be in the water and who should be the appropiate authority to make that decision.”
At an annual conference, councils voted by a majority for the responsibility of fluoridation to be passed on to the Ministry of Health.
Mr Yule said Local Government New Zealand was lobbying Health Minister Jonathan Coleman to have that considered.
“It is squarely our view that fluoridation is a health issue and it should be controlled by the Ministry of Health, rather than local government. Local government only gets to make these decisions because we own and operate the assets in which fluoride is put.”
‘I’m sick and tired of taking out teeth’
The anti-flouridation lobby group New Health New Zealand in October lost a bid in the High Court to block the fluoridation of water supplies and rule it as a medicine, but it is appealing that decision.
The group’s lawyer, Lisa Hansen, said having up to one milligram per litre of fluoride in water – a target in the Water New Zealand code – did not limit people’s intake to that amount.
“How much fluoride you actually consume depends on how much you actually drink,” she said.
“If you drink very little fluoridated water, you’ll get a low dose, but for people who have high water intake, they will get considerably more.”
She said water-flouridating chemicals hydrofluorosilicic acid and sodium silico flouride were toxic byproducts.
Ms Hansen was also suspicious of the code’s release, saying it was conveniently timed with the Ministry of Health’s call for submissions on a proposed amendment to the Medicines Act, which aims to provide legal clarity that fluoride substances in drinking water are not medicines.
New Zealand Dental Association spokesperson Rob Beaglehole said the code would help clarify the process of water flouridation, which was particularly needed for children’s dental health.
“As a clinical dentist, I’m sick and tired of taking out teeth from young children who live [in an] unfluoridated region,” he said.
“We know, or the evidence suggests, that if a child is living in an unflouridated area, then they have a 40 percent more chance of developing tooth decay.”
Water New Zealand said the code should apply to all new and upgraded water fluoridation plants after 1 January 2015, and to existing plants from January 2020, although complying was not a legal requirement.
Fluoride risks whitewashed in rushed consultation
Fluoride risks whitewashed in rushed Ministry of Health consultation
Ministry of Health propose to exempt toxic industrial waste products used in water fluoridation from the Medicines Act 1981
New Health NZ urges anyone who is concerned about the risks of water fluoridation to human health, to have their say on a Ministry of Health proposal that is out for public consultation over the Christmas break.
The Ministry’s proposal is to exempt the water fluoridating chemicals Hydrofluorosilicic acid (HFA) and Sodium Silico Fluoride (SSF) from being medicines under the Medicines Act 1981. Submissions are due by 9 January 2015.
“We question the timing of this as it pre-empts the outcome of an Appeal against a recent High Court decision New Health NZ Inc v Attorney General, which held that HFA and SSF are not medicines. Our view is that should the Appeal succeed, and find that they are medicines for the purposes of the Act, they should not be exempted,” says New Health NZ chairman David Sloan.
Fluoridated water delivers uncontrolled doses of HFA and SSF to entire populations without informed consent. The effect of exempting these products, which are currently being used as medicines (ostensibly to prevent dental decay) from being medicines under the Act, regularises this. HFA and SSF are toxic by-products of the superphosphate industry that may also contain arsenic, mercury and lead.
“A significant number of New Zealanders are already hugely concerned by this issue. Our decision to pursue the Appeal, and to encourage people to make their views known to the Ministry of Health about its proposal, reflects the importance of ensuring we all have the basic human right of choosing what goes into our bodies,” says Mr Sloan.
A person living in a fluoridated community has no choice but to consume fluoridated water. Excessive ingestion of fluoride has been linked to a number of health harms including dental fluorosis, skeletal fluorosis, bone fractures, IQ deficits, osteosarcoma, and thyroid impairment.
One litre of fluoridated water contains up to 1 mg of fluoride, which is the stated maximum medicinal dose of fluoride for an adult consuming fluoride tablets.
“Given that a person’s dose of fluoride from water fluoridation depends on how much fluoridated water they consume, many people would exceed this dosage. For example, any adult drinking more than 1 to 1.5 litres of water a day, not to mention babies/toddlers and pregnant women whose stated maximum medicinal dose of fluoride is zero,” says Mr Sloan.
While there is some scientific evidence that the topical use of fluoride (i.e. on the tooth surface) helps prevent dental decay, the weight of scientific evidence is that ingesting (swallowing) fluoride does not provide any protection against tooth decay. For those who believe there is a benefit in ingesting fluoride, there is the option of buying sodium fluoride tablets from a pharmacy.
New Health NZ Inc has asked the Ministry of Health to extend the timeframe for public submissions, given it is not considered best practice to offer a limited timeframe for public consultation over the Christmas and New Year holidays.
For more information and to make a submission, go to www.newhealth.co.nz/sayno.php. The Ministry of Health’s consultation document and any updates on its consultation timeframes are available at www.medsafe.govt.nz/consultations/medicine-regulations-fluoride-in-drinking-water.asp.
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