Dear Ms Duruz,

Thank you for submitting your enquiry to the Brisbane City Council.

The decision to avoid fluoridation was made by a panel of experts set up by the then Lord Mayor Jim Soorley. This panel consisted of experts in many fields including dentistry, medical research  and other varied health professionals. After a long and exhaustive study into the relevant documentation the question was put to the panel. The result was a narrow victory to the negative.

The report produced by the panel named two major reasons for its decision. Firstly the evidence implicating fluoride in various significant medical conditions, whist not clear, was concerning. Secondly the legal ramifications of mass medicating the public were also of concern. It was the panels opinion that fluoride supplements in the form of tablets and fluoridated toothpaste are  easily available for those people who wish the use the product, but those who wish to avoid the product should have that right also. Therefore the use of fluoride in the tap water was considered unwise.

If you have any further Brisbane City Council enquiries, please complete the Contact Us page available from the home page at www.brisbane.qld.gov.au or phone our 24 hour Contact Centre on (07) 3403 8888.

The sad thing is that only a month or so after I received the letter above Brisbane reopened talks about adding fluoride to public water supply. The pressure from other parts of Australia is mounting, as is public outrage at being denied fluoride and the 'protection' this offers their teeth. If only people would properly research this before making their decision.  

Sheryl