Can Lismore’s fluoridation be stopped?

Melissa Hargraves

The campaign to stop the fluoridation of Lismore’s water supply continues despite local and state authorities pushing ahead with it.

A Lismore local who has vowed to leave the shire because of the recent controversial decision by Lismore City councillors to go ahead with the fluoridation plan, is keen to educate the public about the pros and cons of the issue.

Peter Lehner, spokesman for the recently-formed Fluoride Awareness Lismore (FAL), said a film and information night this Friday at the Lismore Workers Club would explore safe and legal options for the community to oppose water fluoridation.

Mr Lehner, who has put a lot of time and heart into Lismore through his community choirs, told Echonetdaily that FAL had five core objectives.

‘We want to raise public awareness about the pros and cons of fluoridation, stop water fluoridation in Lismore, guard our right of choice, protect the health of land and water as well as our bodies and actively support the dental health of disadvantaged children in our area,’ he said.

Mr Lehner said the group’s information is coming from an international perspective.

‘Our information is not from government funded science and does not rely on Australian-only research, where it seems the council is relying on the directive on NSW Health.

‘Most of Europe has stopped fluoridation, with Canada and USA following that movement.’

Mr Lehner said the film and information evening would offer two safe and legal processes for locals to object to their water being fluoridated.

‘We will be showing ratepayers a legal process where they can protest paying water rates for an inferior product at a higher price,’ he said.

According to Mr Lehner, the strategy was successful on the Gold Coast where ratepayers were able to change council’s decision to privatise their water source.

‘Another safe way for people to oppose water fluoridation is the people’s mandate called “My Will”, this is very different to a petition, we have handed in large petitions before which were not recognised by council,’ he said.

He said the ‘My Will’ process was a more thorough and accurate measure of the community position on the issue.

Push polling

At last year’s Lismore City Council fluoride workshop, Merilyn Haines said the surveys (from 2005 to 2008) claiming popular support by NSW Health for the support of fluoridation should have been named ‘push polls’.

Ms Haines said the surveys only had small numbers in each area.

‘For example, in 2005 NSW Health surveyed 14 people in the Lismore LGA, 17 in 2006 and 19 in both 2007 and 2008,’ she said.

Lismore mayor Jenny Dowell recently told Echonetdaily that most people she came into contact with supported water fluoridation.

But Mr Lehner said he found the complete opposite in that around 98 per cent of the people he came into contact with opposed water fluoridation.

‘Since LCC made the decision to fluoridate, mayor Dowell has been bombarded by people who don’t want water fluoridation, so that is hardly a minority group in the community,’ he said.

‘The majority of people posting comments were against it.

‘Yes I probably do hang out with a different crowd than mayor Dowell, but I am in contact with a lot of people through my work and social interactions whom the majority oppose fluoridating our water.’

Mr Lehner helped organise a Lismore gathering for International Human Rights Day last year.

‘Our human rights were taken away on Human Rights Day by six councillors which I think is really hurtful,’ he said.

‘I am hopeful though that people are waking up, especially to the corruption within our government, which we are finding out about more and more.

‘Even though I will be leaving, I cannot walk away from this issue as I care about this community and the environment.’

He said he hoped many locals would take the time to learn about the issue in depth as ‘there are so many better and more intelligent ways to help the dental health of our children without poisoning us and our land’.

Mr Lehner said non-violent direct action to slow down or stop the building of the water dosing plants has been planned.

‘They are building the plant in Corndale and the people there don’t want it either, they don’t want their wildlife poisoned, it seeps out into the environment, so we know there will be people from Corndale, Dorroughby and Rosebank for example who are involved with their environment and will reject this poisoning,’ he said.

‘Firewater: Australia’s Industrial Fluoridation Disgrace’ will be shown at the Lismore Workers Club on Friday 17 January, at 5.30pm for a 6pm start as part of the film and information night.