The Waikato Regional Council is responsible for ensuring the environment is protected from pollutants. As a part of that responsibility WRC issues resource consents to local body councils for their waste water to ensure that protection. Within the WRC’s area, 5 councils undergo fluoridation which is the addition to the public water supply of the hazardous industrial grade fluoride chemical, Hydrofluorosilicic Acid. Having now received all Resource Consents for each of these five councils, Fluoride Free NZ can confirm that none of the council’s resource consents specifically state that a hazardous fluoride chemical is being flushed through the public water supply and into the environment. A majority are being flushed into a stream or river. The Hydrofluorosilicic Acid is derived from the phosphate fertiliser industry and is formed by capture of two toxic gases in the process of reacting sulphuric acid with phosphate rock. The two toxic gases are too toxic for the environment and are captured in wet scrubbers. According to the producers of this acid the only refinement is the removal of solid silica. The local town water supply is effectively being used as a waste disposal.
See below for a summary of the resource consents.
Fluoride used: Hydrofluorosilicic Acid (classified as hazardous)
Amount: 70 Tonne per annum
Waste water treatment: Flushed into the Waikato River
Resource consent: No explicit mention of fluoride. See the WRC resource consent for Hamilton City.
Fluoride used: Hydrofluorosilicic Acid (classified as hazardous)
Amount: 3 – 3.5 Tonne per annum
Waste water treatment: Irrigated onto farm land
Resource consent: No explicit mention of fluoride. See the two WRC resource consents here and here.
Fluoride used: Hydrofluorosilicic Acid (classified as hazardous)
Amount: 0.8 Tonne per annum
Waste water treatment: Flushed into the Waihou River
Resource consent: No explicit mention of fluoride. See the WRC resource consent.
Fluoride used: Hydrofluorosilicic Acid (classified as hazardous)
Amount: est. 1 – 1.5 Tonne per annum
Waste water treatment: Flushed into the Whakauru stream that eventually feeds the Waikato River
Resource consent: No explicit mention of fluoride. See the WRC resource consent.
Fluoride used: Hydrofluorosilicic Acid (classified as hazardous)
Amount: 0.5 Tonne per annum
Waste water treatment: Flushed into the Hangarito stream that feeds Lake Taupo
Resource consent: No explicit mention of fluoride. See the WRC resource consent.
Over the decades that fluoridation has been in these places there have been hundreds of Tonne disposed of through the public water supply. Fluoride Free NZ is appalled with this lack of protection of environment. We are particularly concerned with the deliberate pollution of Lake Taupo, New Zealand and are calling on Taupo District Council to stop adding the hazardous fluoride chemicals to Turangi’s public water supply immediately. Please sign the petition demanding they stop fluoridation in Turangi NOW.