http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-01-30/cairns-council-to-stop-fluoridating-water/4491494

The Cairns Regional Council has voted to stop fluoridating its water supplies by early next month.

Mayor Bob Manning says it recognises involuntary ‘mass medication’ must not proceed without community consent.

The Queensland Government last year changed laws to give councils the option not to fluoridate local water supplies.

“It costs about $300,000 or $400,000 a year to fluoridate all the supply, so that won’t occur but this is not an issue of cost and we’re not talking about millions of dollars here,” councillor Manning said.

“We should have the process completed, the taking out of the fluoridation, by about mid-February.”

Ron Blake from the Australian Dental Association says fluoridating water prevents tooth decay but is not mass medication.

“That’s stretching the term a bit,” he said.

“It’s not mass medication. Fluoride is a natural element and what we want to do is put it in the optimal level that will give maximum benefit and it is safe.

“The science is irrefutable.”

This is about empowering all people to make informed decisions, and stopping MASS MEDICATION and forcing nanny state decisions on the people.

woot

The Cairns council said it based its decision on the policy of the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ). It joins Tablelands Regional Council as one of the only local government sin Queensland to exercise its new power over fluoridation of drinking water.

The LGAQ said it supported the right of councils to decide if fluoride should be added to water and that the express consent of communities should be sought for processes such as fluoridation. Asked about the Cairns council’s refusal to determine if community consent existed, LGAQ executive director Greg Hallam said: “That’s a matter for them. We’re not judge and jury.

“We’re not anti-fluoride and we don’t subscribe to a view that there’s any harm based on all the scientific studies around the world. Ours is a political and legal stance.”

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/cairns-to-halt-water-fluoridation/story-e6frg6nf-1226565022459

“Cairns Mayor Bob Manning said the change would save the council a significant amount of money.

Mr Manning said the council also supported the LGAQ’s position that oral health was a state government responsibility and “as such any financial burden should remain with the state”.

Fluoridation currently cost the council about $300,000 in chemicals, staffing, testing, electricity and infrastructure, he said.

Fluoride will stop being added to the Cairns water supply from the middle of next month.”

ah – sound like it was an economic decision not a principle of democracy.

medicating against the will of the patient is illegal in australia anyway

the patient is anyone or anything that imbibes the fluoride product

so far i’ve never seen any doctors certificate prescribing anything to be dumped into the water system which means its not personally endorsed by any doctor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0n_r14cT5C8

first do no harm

woot

May be time for me to write a letter to my local council.

Carmen_Sandiego said:

May be time for me to write a letter to my local council.

Although it is about the principle of democracy and empowering people to make their own informed decisions, your local council on your behalf decided that they didn’t need your consent.

neomyrtus_ said:

Carmen_Sandiego said:

May be time for me to write a letter to my local council.

Although it is about the principle of democracy and empowering people to make their own informed decisions, your local council on your behalf decided that they didn’t need your consent.

Although to be fare, who drinks tap water these days?

*fair

Carmen_Sandiego said:

Although to be fare, who drinks tap water these days?

Me, and quite a lot of it.

Time to set up a “Cavities filled while-u-wait” booth in the local shopping centre?

Spiny Norman said:

Carmen_Sandiego said:

Although to be fare, who drinks tap water these days?

Me, and quite a lot of it.

Me too and I for one are very happy to see it go from out water supply :)

HIPPY!

Spider Lily said:

Spiny Norman said:

Carmen_Sandiego said:

Although to be fare, who drinks tap water these days?

Me, and quite a lot of it.

Me too and I for one are very happy to see it go from out water supply :)

:/

Poor kids (and maybe the kids parents)…maybe I should go to Cairns and be a dentist…or homeopath, there’s $$$ in them there mud flats…

poikilotherm said:

Spider Lily said:

Spiny Norman said:

Me, and quite a lot of it.

Me too and I for one are very happy to see it go from out water supply :)

:/

Poor kids (and maybe the kids parents)…maybe I should go to Cairns and be a dentist…or homeopath, there’s $$$ in them there mud flats…

Homeopathy has less overheads, but competition is increasing.

Angus Prune said:

Homeopathy has less overheads, but competition is increasing.

Yeah but now the tap water has the essence of fluoride instead of actual fluoride so you’ll make a killing.

poikilotherm said:

Spider Lily said:

Spiny Norman said:

Me, and quite a lot of it.

Me too and I for one are very happy to see it go from out water supply :)

:/

Poor kids (and maybe the kids parents)…maybe I should go to Cairns and be a dentist…or homeopath, there’s $$$ in them there mud flats…

Me and my brother were brought up on rainwater tanks and had little pink fluoride tablets daily with breakfast.

Divine Angel said:

Angus Prune said:

Homeopathy has less overheads, but competition is increasing.

Yeah but now the tap water has the essence of fluoride instead of actual fluoride so you’ll make a killing.

I’d be more worried about the other stuff water can remember…there’s some dog awful smells that come from public toilets…

“SAM”6 is a near distance, inside in ex all-weather inside in a kind of mobile type low altitude guided missile. The whole weapon system be shot by a guided missile car with the set system leads the radar car constitutes. Start researching to manufacture at the end of 50’s, 60’s middle material troops. In 1973 for the fourth time middle east war, shotted down not a few Israeli airplanes with Syria and once with this kind of guided missile Egypt. Make to lead radar adoption many wave bands many frequency work, the anti- interference ability is strong; Play the path 340 millimeters of, shoot heavy 604,000 grams of, adopt the whole distance half the active looking for of making and leading way。The main weakness of the guided missile is to makes to lead the system technique not very advanced, adopt the electronics of large quantity take care of, the physical volume is big and consume the electricity many, maintain the inconvenience with operate the low etc. in automation.

chinglish is great…

poikilotherm said:

Spider Lily said:

Spiny Norman said:

Me, and quite a lot of it.

Me too and I for one are very happy to see it go from out water supply :)

:/

Poor kids (and maybe the kids parents)…maybe I should go to Cairns and be a dentist…or homeopath, there’s $$$ in them there mud flats…

I grew up on tank water and my parents gave us fluoride tablets free from the council, my brother and I have great teeth…

Skunkworks said:

poikilotherm said:

Spider Lily said:

Me too and I for one are very happy to see it go from out water supply :)

:/

Poor kids (and maybe the kids parents)…maybe I should go to Cairns and be a dentist…or homeopath, there’s $$$ in them there mud flats…

Me and my brother were brought up on rainwater tanks and had little pink fluoride tablets daily with breakfast.

Still done today…sort of…toothpaste/paste with extra fluoride recommended for those on tank water.

poikilotherm said:

Divine Angel said:

Angus Prune said:

Homeopathy has less overheads, but competition is increasing.

Yeah but now the tap water has the essence of fluoride instead of actual fluoride so you’ll make a killing.

I’d be more worried about the other stuff water can remember…there’s some dog awful smells that come from public toilets…

And all that homeopathic booze…

Spider Lily said:

poikilotherm said:

Spider Lily said:

Me too and I for one are very happy to see it go from out water supply :)

:/

Poor kids (and maybe the kids parents)…maybe I should go to Cairns and be a dentist…or homeopath, there’s $$$ in them there mud flats…

I grew up on tank water and my parents gave us fluoride tablets free from the council, my brother and I have great teeth…

Well duh…

I don’t get why you’d be happy to have it removed from the water supply then? Or did I miss something?

poikilotherm said:

Well duh…

I don’t get why you’d be happy to have it removed from the water supply then? Or did I miss something?

+1

poikilotherm said:

Spider Lily said:

poikilotherm said:

:/

Poor kids (and maybe the kids parents)…maybe I should go to Cairns and be a dentist…or homeopath, there’s $$$ in them there mud flats…

I grew up on tank water and my parents gave us fluoride tablets free from the council, my brother and I have great teeth…

Well duh…

I don’t get why you’d be happy to have it removed from the water supply then? Or did I miss something?

I prefer pure water without additives of any sort.

>And all that homeopathic booze…

‘ere, tell me more.

Spider Lily said:

poikilotherm said:

Spider Lily said:

Me too and I for one are very happy to see it go from out water supply :)

:/

Poor kids (and maybe the kids parents)…maybe I should go to Cairns and be a dentist…or homeopath, there’s $$$ in them there mud flats…

I grew up on tank water and my parents gave us fluoride tablets free from the council, my brother and I have great teeth…

Well….since it’s a cost cutting measure to remove it from the water I suspect they won’t be giving out free tablets instead. Which means It’s costing ratepayers more to get the same effect…

Spider Lily said:

poikilotherm said:

Spider Lily said:

I grew up on tank water and my parents gave us fluoride tablets free from the council, my brother and I have great teeth…

Well duh…

I don’t get why you’d be happy to have it removed from the water supply then? Or did I miss something?

I prefer pure water without additives of any sort.

Not even sterilising agents or flocculants?

Spider Lily said:

poikilotherm said:

Spider Lily said:

I grew up on tank water and my parents gave us fluoride tablets free from the council, my brother and I have great teeth…

Well duh…

I don’t get why you’d be happy to have it removed from the water supply then? Or did I miss something?

I prefer pure water without additives of any sort.

.
Good-oh. Where are you going to get that, then?

(Oh, I see. You’re installing your own reverse-osmosis-based water treatment plant.)

It’s only been a few years since Qld started putting fluoride in tap water anyway.

Michael V said:

Spider Lily said:

poikilotherm said:

Well duh…

I don’t get why you’d be happy to have it removed from the water supply then? Or did I miss something?

I prefer pure water without additives of any sort.

.
Good-oh. Where are you going to get that, then?

Looking at the map, there appears to be a number of streams and creeks running through Cairns…

I would image that pure DI RO water, free even from dissolved atmospheric carbonates or oxygen or dissolved organic matter could be difficult to access.

Angus Prune said:

Not even sterilising agents or flocculants?

I’m working up to that.

Michael V said:

You’re installing your own reverse-osmosis-based water treatment plant.

There was an interesting radio national Occams Razor on boron and desal plants. Have a look online for the podcast.

I don’t know what flocculants are but gosh it’s a great word.

flockulants are what keeps lots of birds in formation without hitting each other when in flight.

So, the real interest would be if people who have taken themselves off scheme / tap water (using rainwater, buying water or have their own RO DI plant or what-not), will return to using local tap water once the fluoridation has ceased.

http://www.cloudjuice.com.au/The_Story.html

This is the water I grew up on and why I would prefer not to have additives.

I am not 100% sure but I believe Port Douglas get their water from Mossman Gorge and Gordonvale get water from the Behana Creek Gorge..

AFAIK – people in general cannot taste the fluoride compound in fluoridated water (as opposed to Cl in chlorinated water or other compounds which can impart colour or taste). Are there are studies which show that it is detectable?

Spider Lily said:

I am not 100% sure but I believe Port Douglas get their water from Mossman Gorge and Gordonvale get water from the Behana Creek Gorge..

http://www.abc.net.au/landline/stories/s325680.htm

Until now the shire has relied on drawing water straight out of a stream in the Daintree rainforest. As rustic and romantic as this sounds, the quality of the town supply is so dodgy, the hospitality trade openly warns holiday makers not to drink it.

The problem with rainforest runoff is that there’s so much of it that it tends to pick up a bit of everything on its way to the Mossman River. It is not just an issue of turbidity; feral pigs, birds and other animals leave their mark too and the last thing you want visitors to leave with is cryptospridium and guiardia.

Council surveyed ratepayers and their resounding answer was they wanted clean and chemically free water.

Options for purifying the water included the use of chlorine, chloabonation, ozone, conventional treatment, and microfiltration. While microfiltration was the most expensive of the lot, it was also the most popular.

With the council aiming to achieve high standards on water treatment the US was consulted for ideas on filtration. The Douglas Shire Council has since joined forces with Koch (pronouned Coke) Membrane Systems, an American beverage giant that’s partnered with a West Australian based company to win the contract.

http://www.ourcairnswater.com.au/supply.htm

Cairns Regional Council is the registered water service provider to approximately 160,000 people, committed to ensuring an adequate and safe supply of water to communties from the Daintree in the north to Bartle Frere in the south.
Northern Supply Systems

Mossman and Port Douglas are supplied with water gravitated from Rex Creek to the Mossman Water Treatment Plant. Treated water is then gravitated to storage reservoirs in each area.

Water gravitated from Little Falls Creek supplies Whyanbeel and surrounding townships. Treatment takes place at Whyanbeel Water Treatment Plant which was commissioned in 2004.

The Daintree and surrounding farming communities are supplied with water from Intake Creek which is gravitated to the Daintree Water Treatment Plant. Following treatment water is stored in a clear water reservoir with distribution across the scheme via gravity.

Dagmar Heights water supply scheme was constructed in 1996 to service a rural residential subdivision. Infrastructure consists of 2 bores and a small reservoir.
Cairns

The majority of Cairns’ water comes from Copperlode Falls Dam, an intake at Crystal Cascades and Behana Creek.

more on link

http://www.cairns.qld.gov.au/about-council/media-and-public-notices/public-notices/notices/water-fluoridation

Commissioning works for fluoridation of the water supply from the Frenchmans Creek, Mossman and Whyanbeel Water Treatment Plants is expected to commence from approximately 10 November 2010.

Fluoride will be added to the water supply periodically from this date, with permanent fluoridation commencing from 31 December 2010.

These Water Treatment Plants supply water to; Frenchmans Creek and Babinda; Craiglie; Mossman, Newell Beach and Port Douglas, Whyanbeel; Wonga Beach and smaller townships in surrounding areas of the plants.

Fluoridation is a Queensland Government directive under the Water Fluoridation Regulation 2008, and Cairns Regional Council has a legal obligation to follow this directive.

Further information regarding fluoridation can be obtained by contacting Queensland Health on 07 3234 0111 or visiting the Queensland Health web site at www.health.qld.gov.au/fluoride.

Spider Lily said:

http://www.cloudjuice.com.au/The_Story.html

This is the water I grew up on and why I would prefer not to have additives.

I am not 100% sure but I believe Port Douglas get their water from Mossman Gorge and Gordonvale get water from the Behana Creek Gorge..

Ummm….. What’s the advantage? Seriously asking. Okay, it’s rainwater. Filtered and de-microbed similar to mains water except it’s all much more expensive because of the small scale and absurd glass bottles.

looks like the lot goes through treatment.. from a quick glance at the Cairns regional council site.. mechanical filtration and chlorination.

http://www.cairns.qld.gov.au/environment/water-and-waste/water-information

http://www.ourcairnswater.com.au/supply.htm

Crystal Cascades Water Intake

Crystal Cascades intake is located downstream of Lake Morris on Freshwater Creek. Water from the intake is collected and piped by gravity to the Freshwater Creek Water Treatment Plant at Tunnel Hill. The treatment plant consists of a direct filtration process followed by chlorination.

>and forcing nanny state decisions on the people

Sadly, neomyrtus is unable to distinguish between genuine nanny statism (which limits peoples’ freedom unnecessarily) and ordinary, harmless beneficial projects such as fluoridating water. This makes neomyrtus part of the problem.

i thought neo’s comment was tic.

Bubblecar said:

>and forcing nanny state decisions on the people

Sadly, neomyrtus is unable to distinguish between genuine nanny statism (which limits peoples’ freedom unnecessarily) and ordinary, harmless beneficial projects such as fluoridating water. This makes neomyrtus part of the problem.

‘Nanny state’ is a poorly defined piece of rhetoric oft’ used for many disparate causes, which is why I only use the term in a trivial way

Unfortunately neo doesn’t seem to recognise that there is ANY point at which government intervention in the individual’s life becomes a matter of nanny statism.

Difference between me & neo: I see the concept of “civil liberties” as being liberal, progressive and important, she sees it as a dumb redneck conspiracy against sensible government control of all aspects of our lives.

In all fairness, there usually aren’t too many additives in town water. Flocculants are physically filtered out before it leaves the treatment plant, but I know in Rockhampton there wasn’t anything else added but a truckload of lime for pH.

There are also many water supplies in the world where fluoride occurs naturally in town water, which is how we worked out it is good for teeth in the first place.

Carmen_Sandiego said:

…but I know in Rockhampton there wasn’t anything else added but a truckload of lime for pH.

…and Chlorine, obviously.

Fucking clueless idiot redneck queenslanders

For anyone who thought the Sirgio Jelkie era was over… no.. it’s still alive and well

Dropbear said:

Fucking clueless idiot redneck queenslanders

So, how are you enjoying it up here ?

pommiejohn said:

Dropbear said:

Fucking clueless idiot redneck queenslanders

So, how are you enjoying it up here ?

;)

lol…

but really.. the locals do amuse me sometimes…. sometimes you think things may have changed and that the state is turning into a modern cosmopolitan centre …

and then someone opens their mouth ;)

Dropbear said:

pommiejohn said:

Dropbear said:

Fucking clueless idiot redneck queenslanders

So, how are you enjoying it up here ?

;)

lol…

but really.. the locals do amuse me sometimes…. sometimes you think things may have changed and that the state is turning into a modern cosmopolitan centre …

and then someone opens their mouth ;)

At which point you can see their cavities?

Dropbear said:

pommiejohn said:

Dropbear said:

Fucking clueless idiot redneck queenslanders

So, how are you enjoying it up here ?

;)

lol…

but really.. the locals do amuse me sometimes…. sometimes you think things may have changed and that the state is turning into a modern cosmopolitan centre …

and then someone opens their mouth ;)

Bit like Tasmania?

Angus Prune said:

Dropbear said:

pommiejohn said:

So, how are you enjoying it up here ?

;)

lol…

but really.. the locals do amuse me sometimes…. sometimes you think things may have changed and that the state is turning into a modern cosmopolitan centre …

and then someone opens their mouth ;)

At which point you can see their cavities?

yes.. .there’s no real surprise that the rate of cavities in queesnland is sky high

jjjust moi said:

Dropbear said:

pommiejohn said:

So, how are you enjoying it up here ?

;)

lol…

but really.. the locals do amuse me sometimes…. sometimes you think things may have changed and that the state is turning into a modern cosmopolitan centre …

and then someone opens their mouth ;)

Bit like Tasmania?

never been there … so can’t really comment…

This is the backwater that launched fn Bob Katter, Pauline Hanson, and Wyatt Erp

This is a stupid decision made but uninformed individuals…

poor form I say…

looks as if i missed a hellava outrage about a council deciding not to dump toxic chemicals into the water supplies unnecessarily.

wookiemeister said:

looks as if i missed a hellava outrage about a council deciding not to dump toxic chemicals into the water supplies unnecessarily.

meh

bad troll is bad

Let’s hope this leaves the council open to being sued by the local public to recover their dental expenses.

its always to watch people debating government policy in whatever form – they actually think that any thing they say will make any difference – you’ve got to laugh

you have no say in government at any level

get used to it

wookiemeister said:

its always amusing to watch people debating government policy in whatever form – they actually think that any thing they say will make any difference – you’ve got to laugh

you have no say in government at any level

get used to it

wookiemeister said:

looks as if i missed a hellava outrage about a council deciding not to dump toxic chemicals into the water supplies unnecessarily.

LSD or chemtrails?

neomyrtus_ said:

wookiemeister said:

looks as if i missed a hellava outrage about a council deciding not to dump toxic chemicals into the water supplies unnecessarily.

LSD or chemtrails?

LSD sounds believable.

neomyrtus_ said:

wookiemeister said:

looks as if i missed a hellava outrage about a council deciding not to dump toxic chemicals into the water supplies unnecessarily.

LSD or chemtrails?

might be cheaper

wookiemeister said:

neomyrtus_ said:

wookiemeister said:

looks as if i missed a hellava outrage about a council deciding not to dump toxic chemicals into the water supplies unnecessarily.

LSD or chemtrails?

might be cheaper

Can see Coca Cola bringing back the black tooth look, in Cairns.

roughbarked said:

wookiemeister said:

neomyrtus_ said:

LSD or chemtrails?

might be cheaper

Can see Coca Cola bringing back the black tooth look, in Cairns.

oh no!

not the black tooth!

a third of medieval europe went down with the black tooth because of coke

neomyrtus_ said:

poikilotherm said:

Well duh…

I don’t get why you’d be happy to have it removed from the water supply then? Or did I miss something?

+1

+another

Spider Lily said:

Spiny Norman said:

Carmen_Sandiego said:

Although to be fare, who drinks tap water these days?

Me, and quite a lot of it.

Me too and I for one are very happy to see it go from out water supply :)

Anyone who has hung around a science forum for so long should know better. For shame

Anyone who has hung around a science forum for so long should know better. For shame</FONT>

i agree. and as for having good teeth i guess genetics has some say. my first girlfriend had a plate at 16. bad genetics for teeth. she ended up being a biologist studying genetics.