A ROSEBANK anti-fluoride activist has promised more protests and blockades similar to yesterday’s action at the entrance to the Corndale fluoride dosing plant.

About 20 people protested at the Arthur Rd site during the arrival of heavy equipment to finish construction of the plant.

Corndale is one of four being built which will complete the fluoridation of all of Ballina, Lismore and Richmond Valley councils’ water supplies.

Rous Water general manager Kyme Lavelle said dosing was expected to commence in early June.

Former Lismore resident Peter Lehner said the group had serious concerns over the type of fluoride being used, which he said was an industrial by-product not the traditional pharmaceutical grade used in toothpaste.

“A lot of people think it’s safe, but it’s a different product coming from China, it contains many trace elements including uranium,” he said.

“It’s left behind in the chimneys; they scrape the chimneys, collect all the dust, and sell it.

“It’s an industrial waste product.

“You can’t just put it in a tip, if it gets in the air it’s a poison.

“The local councils are expected to do tests on every batch, because there’s different levels of uranium. But they are not going to do the test, because they don’t have the ongoing funds.”

“The other main issue for me is it’s a human right that we have a choice on what medication we take – except for fluoride.

“It’s the mass medication of the population. All we ask for is to hold off and have a referendum of the issue at the next election.”

Mr Lehner said he was forced to move from Lismore to Rosebank after Lismore council narrowly voted to fluoridate, so he could have his own water source from a nearby creek.

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