Some may have seen this news item last week:-

Palmerston North City Council (PNCC) and Public Health Services of MidCentral Health (PHS) advise of a recent incident relating to the fluoride dosing system at Longburn.

During routine monitoring at 1 pm, Tuesday 3 April, elevated fluoride levels were detected in the Longburn community water supply. Laboratory testing confirmed the elevated levels at 8.7 mg/L, which is above the target level of 0.7 – 1.0 mg/L. On notification, the dosing system was immediately switched off. Samples were taken, followed by a complete flushing of the entire Longburn network.

Twelve times the acceptable dosage in the drinking water?  What if it had been even more than that?  Oops.  At least the Palmerston North City Council admitted the incident occurred, 8 days later.  Would the KCDC have done that or covered it up?

Fluoride salts are toxic, and in fact a lot more toxic than chlorine which Theresa May and her allies used as an excuse to bomb Syria and the Russians last Friday.

The Food & Drug Administration in the United States now requires that all fluoride toothpastes sold in the U.S. bear the following poison warning:

“WARNING: Keep out of reach of children under 6 years of age. If you accidentally swallow more than used for brushing, seek professional help or contact a poison control center immediately.”

The FDA warning is necessary because relatively small doses of fluoride can induce symptoms of acute fluoride toxicity (i.e., poisoning). Early symptoms of fluoride poisoning include gastrointestinal pain, nausea, vomiting, and headaches. The minimum dose that can produce these symptoms is estimated to be 0.1 to 0.3 mg/kg of fluoride (i.e., 0.1 to 0.3 milligrams of fluoride for every kilogram of bodyweight).

Our view on fluoride was stated at the time of the 2015 Waikanae ward Council by-election: consuming it should be a matter of personal choice and not imposed on people through the water tap.