A group of citizens took the South Taranaki District Council to the High Court to stop the council from adding fluoride to the water. The group said that this was making everybody take medicine. The judge this month decided that fluoride was not medicine. He said that adding fluoride was like adding chlorine to water or adding iodine to salt.
New Zealand soil is low in fluoride and many councils add this to the water. It helps to prevent tooth decay. Iodine is added to salt to prevent goitre, a thyroid gland disease. New Zealand soil is low in iodine and adding it to salt is an easy way to prevent disease. Chlorine is added to water to kill bacteria.
The Hamilton City Council voted last June to remove fluoride from their water. However, in a referendum in October, 70% said they wanted it back in the water. The council now has to decide what to do.
Vocabulary
- Fluoride – Sodium Fluoride is NaF
- Iodine – Chemical Element with the symbol I
- decay – holes in teeth
- prevent – stop something happening
- referendum – vote