Robin Whyman: Dental Association Policy Director on city water fluoridation

The highly contentious battle over fluoridated water could be picking up steam again, despite many being over it.  

New Zealand First's new Member's Bill seeks to repeal the laws from 2021 giving the Director-General of Health central decision making authority. 

It would also mandate binding local council referendums. 

Dental Association Policy Director Robin Whyman told Mike Hosking the legislation already went through the whole select committee process where the public was consulted.  

He says there was a weighing up of the pros and cons so it's not fair to say there hasn't been any input from the public, and at some point we have to stop discussing it.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Fluor rides back front and center. So Winston Peters has
decided councils should hold a referendum on whether this fluor
ride in a water Now members bill is going to
be put in the ballot. To that effect, the Health
Minister Sime and Brown said, don't worry about it's not
going to change. New Zealand Dental Association policy director Robert Wyman,
Robin Wyman rather as with us, Robin.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Morning to you, Good morning, Mike.

Speaker 1 (00:18):
It's the weirdest thing. I still don't understand why we
battle fluoride the way we do, but funarraise battling at
the moment, And there was a meeting in Rotaruo yesterday
and everyone got angsty about it. At the end of
the day, should the Health Department have the power to
direct or not?

Speaker 2 (00:34):
Well, we think it's actually a sensible piece of legislation
that puts the balance of issues that need to be
thought about in the right places. In the end, somebody
has to make a decision about this, and the idea
that this is a health decision on the health issues
that the Director General of Health looks after is a
good idea. You have to also understand though that Internet legislation,

(00:58):
the Director General has to consult with the councils or
the water supplies about the issues that they know about,
which is things like whether it's technically possible in how
complex and expensive it would be to actually throw it
out the supply that has to all be weighed up.
So and now, of you, it puts the responsibilities in
the right swim lane.

Speaker 1 (01:16):
If you like. Okay, But having said that, it's sort
of different. I mean what I'm getting from fung array
in places like Rodorua, it's not about the piping or
the cost. It's about that we don't want to and
we should decide is that reasonable or not.

Speaker 2 (01:28):
Well, we went through a whole process when the legislation changed,
like lots of other decisions that the country made through
a select committee process, and there were plenty of submissions
made and there was a weighing up of the pros
and cons of the information. So I don't think it
is fair to say that there's no input from the public.
But at some point you have to stop in the
groom and discussing it and getting on with making it remore.

Speaker 1 (01:50):
I'm a flu rid fan happy to say so, But
why it is? What is it that's out there. That's
still controversial that people are going to flood me now
with texts going.

Speaker 2 (02:01):
Well, there are a range of health conditions that are
ranged that could potentially be related to fluoride. And I've
been doing this for about thirty five years now and
they keep changing. But the one that's current, and there's
one that's very much known, and that is whether or
not you get fluorosis on the teeth, which is white
or yellow changes on the teeth that can happen if

(02:22):
you actually get the fluorid levels too high, but not
at the levels that we floridate in New Zealand. The
current debate is around intellectual development and cognitive ability. The
evidence on there is shown again that at the levels
we fluoridate at in New Zealand and Australia and other
countries like ourselves, that is not shown to have an

(02:44):
effect if you get the levels too high. There's an
unknown debate about that one.

Speaker 1 (02:48):
Okay, Robin, appreciate your expertise. Robin Wyman. I've been on
florid my whole life and look at me, I'm a genius.
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