Letter to the Editor extracted from the Townsville Bulletin, Monday, February 22, 1999.

Regarding the proposed changes by the Thuringowa City Council in water charges, what is the matter with our local council representatives? Do they seriously expect us to pay even more for what comes out of our taps? I would suggest it is not even fit for flushing the toilet, as this eventually ends up polluting rivers of the marine enviroment even further.

Don't we have enough enviromental pollution to put up with that we deliberately add our daily dose of additives to the most important stuff for sustaining life, our water?

For every statistic from the Dental Association on the apparent benefits of fluoride there are any number of other statistics, some from other dental organisations, which show the opposite.

There is, however, a whole chunk of medical literature showing beyond doubt that fluoride and chlorine are poisons that are definitely harmful to our health. Some restraint in our diet and adequate dental hygiene (using toothpaste without fluoride) have been shown to be perfectly adequate to maintain dental health.

However, it is not for the ratepayers to prove that these poisons are harmful but for the councils to prove that they are not.

This is a call to all people who care about the health of their families to protest at the continued use of these chemicals. Our council representatives should look at the techniques for water treatment being employed elsewhere in the world instead of merely leaving it to the Dental Association to determine what is good for us.

Have they not noticed how many people are buying bottled water because of the stuff coming out of taps?

It seems the user is expected to pay twice.

--L. Markham, Kelso.