RATEPAYER FLYER FLUORIDE INFORMATION

14 AUGUST 2013

For Immediate Release
There has been some criticism of a Hamilton City Council ratepayer flyer (see attached) outlining where people could access fluoride following a decision to remove it from the city’s water supply in June.

Chief Executive Barry Harris said: “The information in the flyer was primarily sourced from Ministry of Health ‘Guidelines for the use of Fluorides’ which was summarised and simplified.’’

Hamilton City Council has provided two pieces of information to the public following the Fluoride Tribunal:
• A summary of both sides of the debate presented to the Tribunal published on 14 June in the Council’s newspaper City News
• The public service flyer (as mentioned above) which was included in recent rates notices.

The facts are:
• The information in the flyer was primarily sourced from the Ministry of Health guidelines in a summarised and simplified form (http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/guidelines-use-fluorides)
• There were clear references in both publications to the Ministry of Health and to its website for further information
• The final decision on whether fluoride is added to Hamilton’s water supply rests with residents of the city when they vote in the upcoming local body election referendum.

“The Council would like to remind the people of Hamilton that there are two sides to this debate and the final decision is in the hands of people of Hamilton in the upcoming referendum,” Mr Harris said.

ENDS

Attached: Fluoride_flyer.pdf

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