The Fluoride Free Northern Rivers group is vowing to bring down the entire Australian fluoridation industry with an upcoming Federal Court challenge.
Group secretary Leisa Webb said the legal campaign would be coordinated through new office space the group has leased in Lismore’s CBD.
The office is located at shop 3, 142 Keen Street, upstairs next to Fundamental Foods.
Ms Webb said the group would be lodging legal challenges against the fluoridation industry in coming weeks.
Meanwhile, she said the office space would provide information, research and advocacy for those opposed to fluoride.
Fluoride activist Al Oshlack, who launched previous legal challenges against Rous Water’s decision to fluoridate the region’s water supply, said the group was receiving a lot of support for the legal action.
‘The fluoride being used is not registered under the Therapeutic Goods Act and at the moment every water authority fluoridating their water supplies, and making claims that it is beneficial for teeth, is in breach of the act,’ he said.
Rous Water began putting fluoride into the water supply about a month ago.
Dosing plants have been built in the Clunes, Knockrow, Dorroughby and Corndale areas.
Richmond Valley, Ballina Shire and Lismore City Councils are all receiving fluoride in their water .
Nimbin and Byron Shire residents are not receiving fluoride.
The decision to take action in the Federal Court of Australia follows numerous attempts locally to halt the fluoridation of the water supply.
In Lismore, Cr Vanessa Ekins attempted last month to have the fluoridation program suspended until the National Health and Medical Research Council has completed the review into reducing fluoride concentrations from 1mg per litre to 0.7mg per litre’.
She attempted to move the motion at the last meeting of Rous Water but the motion was ruled unlawful by Rous general manager Kyme Lavelle.
Cr Ekins has vowed to move the motion at the next meeting of Rous Water on 21 October.
She will also be moving another motion calling on Rous Water to actively promote the health warnings on the NSW Health website regarding bottle fed babies.
The warning says that bottle fed babies could be subject to dental fluorosis, and therefore ‘making up infant formulae with water that has a low fluoride content is consequently not recommended by the NHMRC (National Health and Medical Research Council).’
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