Anti-fluoride activists have opened up a new front in their fight against the fluoridation of the region’s water supply … a shop front.
The Northern Rivers Fluoride Free group has rented office space in Lismore from which they say they will launch a campaign to cripple the fluoride industry in Australia.
The opening comes as Rous Water general manager Kym Lavelle confirmed to the Echonetdaily this week that the Corndale dosing plant had to be shut down for maintenance after pipes were found to be leaking.
The closure, which followed an earlier closure of the Clunes dosing plant in September, was discovered by fluoride opponents who have been monitoring the levels of fluoride from taps in Lismore.
‘We noticed that the level of fluoride in the water had dropped and rang Rous Water to find out what was going on,’ fluoride activist Al Oshlack said.
Mr Lavelle said however that the closure was nothing serious, and the contractor who installed the dosing plant had made the necessary repairs.
Meanwhile, Rous Water delegate Vanessa Ekins told Echonetdaily that she still hasn’t been provided with information about suspensions to the fluoridation of Richmond Valley water supplies, despite lodging a freedom of information request.
She did however hear back from the NSW Department of Health following a complaint that the Rous Water general manager had stopped her lodging a notice of motion regarding fluoride levels.
Cr Ekins had called for the suspension of the fluoridation program until the National Health and Medical Research Council had completed a review of fluoride concentration levels.
At the moment Rous is putting one milligram per litre, which was the 1970s standard, while world best practice standard now is 0.7 milligrams per litre.
‘I sent my complaint in six weeks ago and hadn’t heard anything so I sent an email this week asking what was happening,’ she said.
‘I got a one paragraph response the next day from the department saying in their view, with the evidence available, it was appropriate for the general manager to call my motion illegal.
‘I don’t think they really investigated very thoroughly,’ she said.
Cr Ekins said she would now wait until the February meeting of Rous Water to lodge a motion calling for a community poll on fluoride.
The new office of Northern Rivers Fluoride Free group is at 3/142 Keen Street, Lismore.
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