DOH-DL-13/14-021RTI Document 1 RTI RELEASE
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
DOH-DL-13/14-021 RTI RELEASE RTI Document 1 DOH-DL-13/14-021 RTI RELEASE RTI Document 2 DOH-DL-13/14-021 RTI RELEASE RTI Document 3 DOH-DL-13/14-021 RTI RELEASE RTI Document 4 DOH-DL-13/14-021 RTI RELEASE RTI Document 5 DOH-DL-13/14-021 RTI RELEASE RTI Document 6 DOH-DL-13/14-021 RTI RELEASE RTI Document 7 DOH-DL-13/14-021 RTI RELEASE RTI Document 8 DOH-DL-13/14-021 RTI RELEASE RTI Document 9 DOH-DL-13/14-021 RTI RELEASE RTI Document 10 DOH-DL-13/14-021 RTI RELEASE RTI Document 11 DOH-DL-13/14-021 RTI RELEASE RTI Document 1 DOH-DL-13/14-021 RTI RELEASE RTI Document 2 DOH-DL-13/14-021 RTI RELEASE RTI Document 3 DOH-DL-13/14-021 RTI RELEASE RTI Document 4 DOH-DL-13/14-021 RTI RELEASE RTI Document 5 DOH-DL-13/14-021 RTI RELEASE RTI Document 6 Clare Mildren From: Health Sent: Monday, 14 May 2012 9:37 AM To: Clare Mildren Subject: FW: Media Release - Moratorium on water fluoridation expansion will save 15 million dollars Importance: High From: Queenslanders for Safe Water, Air and Food Inc. [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Saturday, 12 May 2012 10:55 PM To: Health Subject: Media Release - Moratorium on water fluoridation expansion will save 15 million dollars Importance: High Honourable Lawrence Springborg MP Queensland Minister for Health 12 May 2012 Dear Minister Media Release: Moratorium on water fluoridation expansion will save 15 million dollars Open letter to - Premier Campbell Newman, Treasurer Tim Nicholls, Health Minister Lawrence Springborg, Qld MPs, Media and members of the public. An immediate Moratorium on expansion of water fluoridation would save the Queensland government at least 15 million dollars. The Queensland government has massive debts. On the 2 May The Brisbane Times reported Premier Newman as saying... "The bottom line is Queensland is on a financial power dive into the Grand Canyon of financial disasters. This government is going to take all reasonable, necessary steps to pull us out of that." Premier, within a few weeks, the new Bundaberg Regional Council will have to award a Tender to fluoridate the Council's water supplies. Bundaberg Council will have to expedite this so it can comply with the Dec 2012 deadline set by former Premier Bligh's mandatory fluoridation legislation. Bundaberg Council has estimated that it will cost in the order of 10 million dollars to build its 11 fluoride dosing plants and an estimated million Rdollars everyT yearI for theR ongoingE costs.L BundabergE RegionalA SCouncil Eserves an estimated population of just under 100,000 residents. Mt Isa Water Board will also be fluoridating Mt Isa's water supply by Dec 31 this year and has asked the Qld Treasury for $ 1.7 million to do this. Mt Isa has an estimated population of 22,000 residents. DOH-DL-13/14-021RTI Document 1 Other councils that will have to fluoridate their water supplies by end of December this year include - Balonne, Banana, Barcaldine, Burdekin, Cassowary, Carpentaria, Charters Towers, Cloncurry, Cook, Flinders, Isaac, Paroo, Roma, Winton and Toowoomba (completion) In March 2008, Premier Bligh claimed in Parliament it was going to cost $35 million dollars to fluoridate all of Queensland. A Freedom of Information search in April 2011 revealed that the costs of building Qld fluoridation plants up until then exceeded $113 million. Water fluoridation is not only forced mass medication, it is also extremely wasteful. Considerably less than 1% of fluoridated water is drunk by children - the target consumer. Water fluoridation is also ineffective. The largest USA child dental health survey ever done showed only a minute difference in tooth decay between children who had lived all their lives in fluoridated compared to non-fluoridated communities. The difference was not clinically significant, nor shown to be statistically significant, (i) The Australian study Premier Bligh used in a attempt to justify her decision to force fluoridation on Queenslanders was a 1996 comparison of children who had always lived in fluoridated Townsville, to children who had always lived in unfluoridated Brisbane. (2) There are 128 tooth surfaces in an average child's mouth. The Townsville Brisbane study found an average difference of only 0.23 tooth surfaces less decay out of 128 tooth surfaces, when comparing the permanent teeth of Townsville children with a lifetime of drinking fluoridated water, to the permanent teeth of children who had never consumed fluoridated water. The Townsville Brisbane study is just one study of many that indicates the in-effectiveness of fluoridation at reducing tooth decay in the teeth that children have for life. Premier Newman, we ask that you immediately suspend expansion of the water fluoridation program. Premier Bligh's legislation entails costly, unethical mass medication and it is bad law. In the coming months you will incrementally be provided with evidence why the water fluoridation program should be reviewed and Premier Bligh's legislation repealed. Until that can happen, for now, we ask that the Queensland government not force any more councils to fluoridate. Treasurer Tim Nicholls, it will not cost a cent to suspend expansion of the fluoridation program and it will not cost a cent to end fluoridation. It would be really easy to end water fluoridation and it would cost nothing to turn off the fluoride injector pumps. Premier Newman, Health Minister Springborg and Treasurer Nicholls, suspending any further expansion of water fluoridation in Queensland is not only sensible; it would be a financially responsible action to take. Dear Premier and Ministers - please consider this request urgently and advise. Authorised by M Haines on behalfR of QueenslandersTI ForR Safe EWater, AirL and EFood IncASE Mob 0418777112 www.qawf.org PO Box 149 Archerfield 4108 References (1} Brunelte JA, Carlos JP Recent trends in Dental Canes and the Effect of Water Fluoridation Journal of Dental Research Feb 1990 {Volume 69 Special Issue p 723-727) (2)SladeGD^ Spencer AJ, Davies MJ, Stewart JF, Caries experience among children in fluoridated Townsville and unfluoridated Brisbane. Australia and New Zealand Journal of Public Health. 1996. DOH-DL-13/14-021RTI Document 2 Estimated resident populations sourced - Q)d Govt OESR - http://www.oesr.qld.gov.au/ Freedom of Information data on costs of water fluoridation until April 2011 available at http://www.treasury.qld.gov.au/about/right-to-information/disclosure-log/index.shtml DOH-DL-13/14-021 RTI RELEASE RTI Document 3 Pages 4 through 7 redacted for the following reasons: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - DOH-DL-13/14-021 RTI RELEASE Clare Mildren From: Clare Mildren Sent: Monday, 14 May 2012 12:40 PM To: Lawrence Springborg Cc: Mark Wood Subject: FOR YOUR INFO - water flouridation Attachments: 010857_Fluoridation.doc Minister Below is a media release from a safe water /air group. This group is a little extreme - could have potential to pop up in media. I have attached a brief (that is never brief) from the department. In a nutshell, we would recommend not changing the status quo. 4 councils have asked for exemption. Mark Wood is a across the issue, if you need someone from here to give you a run-down. Clare Honourable Lawrence Springborg MP Queensland Minister for Health 12 May 2012 Dear Minister Media Release : Moratorium on water fluoridation expansion will save 15 million dollars Open letter to - Premier Campbell Newman, Treasurer Tim Nicholls, Health Minister Lawrence Springborg, Qld MPs, Media and members of the public. An immediate Moratorium on expansion of water fluoridation would save the Queensland government at least 15 million dollars. The Queensland government has massive debts. On the 2 May The Brisbane Times reported Premier Newman as saying... "The bottom line is Queensland is on a financial power dive into the Grand Canyon of financial disasters. This government Is going to take all reasonable, necessary steps to pull us out of that. " Premier, within a few weeks, the new Bundaberg Regional Council will have to award a Tender to fluoridate the Council's water supplies. Bundaberg Council will have to expedite this so it can comply with the Dec 2012 deadline set by former Premier Bligh's mandatory fluoridation legislation. Bundaberg Council has estimatedR that itT will costI in theR order ofE 10 millionL dollarsE to buildA its 11S fluorideE dosing plants and an estimated million dollars every year for the ongoing costs. Bundaberg Regional Council serves an estimated population of just under 100,000 residents. Mt Isa Water Board will also be fluoridating Mt Isa's water supply by Dec 31 this year and has asked the Qld Treasury for $ 1.7 million to do this. Mt Isa has an estimated population of 22,000 residents. DOH-DL-13/14-021RTI Document 8 Other councils that will have to fluoridate their water supplies by end of December this year include - Balonne, Banana, Barcaldine, Burdekin, Cassowary, Carpentaria, Charters Towers, Cloncurry, Cook, Flinders, Isaac, Paroo, Roma, Winton and Toowoomba (completion) In March 2008, Premier Bligh claimed in Parliament it was going to cost $35 million dollars to fluoridate all of Queensland. A Freedom of Information search in April 2011 revealed that the costs of building Qld fluoridation plants up until then exceeded $113 million. Water fluoridation is not only forced mass medication, it is also extremely wasteful. Considerably less than 1% of fluoridated water is drunk by children - the target consumer. Water fluoridation is also ineffective. The largest USA child dental health survey ever done showed only a minute difference in tooth decay between children who had lived all their lives in fluoridated compared to non-fluoridated communities.