Fluoride in Auckland's water reduced

Auckland's water provider has quietly reduced its target for fluoride levels in the region's drinking water.
But it denies the move was clandestine.

Watercare has reduced its target fluoride levels from 0.85 parts per million to 0.7ppm.

The Ministry of Health recommends fluoride content for drinking water in the range of 0.7-1.0ppm and must not exceed 1.5ppm -- the acceptable maximum level.

A Watercare spokeswoman said the 0.15ppm drop was part of a continuing effort by the organisation to follow best practice standards. She said this, "combined with recent international reports, resulted in an operational adjustment of the fluoride target".

In April last year, the US Department of Health and Human Services updated its Public Health Service recommendation for the optimal fluoride level in drinking water to prevent tooth decay to 0.7ppm.

Anti-fluoride lobby group Fluoride Free NZ questioned why Watercare had not notified the public about the drop, calling the move "clandestine" in a press release. The group said the new level was quietly revealed in a Watercare report last month "without announcement or fanfare from Watercare or Auckland Council".

Fluoride Free NZ spokeswoman Mary Byrne questioned why the public had not been directly notified. "They're giving it [fluoride] to people without their consent and without their knowledge, mostly. I mean look at this, they're lowering it and they're not bothering to tell anybody....