During the past few weeks, an online discussion has done the rounds asking residents if council should remove fluoride from the water. It’s anticipated if there’s enough interest, this informal canvassing of thoughts could lead to organising a formal petition.

The pros and cons of fluoride in the water are debatable.

The NSW Government supports fluoridation of drinking water as an effective, efficient, socially equitable and safe population-wide approach to the prevention of tooth decay.

Those against say medicating the masses is, at best, anti-libertarianism and relatively ineffective, and at worse, creates it’s own health risks.

Regardless of these views, questions arise: what do we know about why fluoride came to be in the town’s supply and can we undo what’s done?

Fluoridation to the town’s water supply began December 1, 2010.

The decision was made by the Fluoridation of Public Water Supplies Advisory Committee in April 5, 2005 following a community forum and then plebiscite by Bellingen Shire Council in 2004.

Details of the community forum were recorded by a councillor during this time, Kerry Childs.

Ms Childs noted “more than 200 residents attended and at the conclusion of the forum it was overwhelming carried that council conduct a mail plebiscite”.

Following, “ballot papers and supporting documentation (for both sides) were mailed to 8633 people on the electoral roll.

“Counting of the ballot papers showed that total votes received were 3265. Total formal votes 3034 and that 2165 (or 71.36 per cent) voted against fluoridation. This information was passed onto the director general of NSW Health on October 19, 2004.”

Ms Childs also gave the following background and insight.

“On May 20, 2004, Terry Clout the former CEO Mid North Coast Area Health Service addressed our Council to put forth his case for why our water supply should be fluoridated,” Ms Childs said.

“We were told that to receive any funding grant contributions, we would have to make a council decision by June 30, 2004. A few fellow councillors were very concerned about the pressure that they were applying to us to make a rushed decision and also the lack of time to consult our community.

“A bit of history, in 1987 our council of the day held a referendum to ask whether residents wanted fluoride in their water and the result was 2:1 against.”

Whether the long-standing anti-fluoride stance within the Shire was recognised at the State level either formally or informally is hard to say. Certainly there is no evidence to suggest the NSW Government Health Department recognised the community’s concern.

This indifference was again noted by Ms Childs in 2005.

“Director General had completely disregarded our community's plebiscite results and has gazetted for fluoridation to occur,” Ms Childs said.

“As there are numerous methods for people to add fluoride to their system, besides in the water, I am extremely disappointed in the whole process.

“Our community has been forced into this situation … it is the easiest and cost effective way for NSW Health to address the situation of oral hygiene instead of looking at education and free dental clinics for a socioeconomic disadvantaged community.”

Ms Childs’ notes hint at the broader implications of the fluoride debate - the significant onus being that council would be fined in a daily basis, essentially forever, for not having fluoridate water.

This extra cost burden on struggling council finances, in combination that they would be excluded from certain funding was like holding a gun to the council's head.

Moving forward to present day, to get fluoride out of the water supply is even more fraught. Actually, it’s near impossible.

“The council cannot disconnect the fluoridation unless an approval or direction is received by the State Government,” council’s deputy manager Matt Fanning said.

“The Secretary of NSW Health directs a water utility to add fluoride to a public water supply, according to the Fluoridation of Public Water Supplies Act (NSW) 1957. The Act requires a water utility to continue adding fluoride unless the direction is revoked by the Secretary (sections 6A and 6B of the Act).”

Fluoridation of Public Water Supplies Act; 6B Discontinuance of fluoridation states:

(1) A water supply authority to which an approval has been granted or a direction has been given shall not discontinue fluoridating the public water supply concerned, unless the approval or direction is revoked by the Secretary.

(2) A water supply authority contravening this section is guilty of an offence against this Act.

To summarise, the body that “forced” council to add fluoride is the same body council needs to revoke fluoride. That’s fairly unlikely, especially given the NSW Health’s stance on local water supplies.

“Fluoridation is endorsed and supported by the World Health Organisation and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), as well as leading clinical organisations in Australia, including the Australian Medical Association and the Australian Dental Association,” a spokesperson for NSW Health said.

“Scientific research continues to demonstrate the effectiveness and safety of fluoridation. The NSW Government remains committed to the promotion of water fluoridation as a public health measure for the protection of oral health.”