You are invited to attend the
Public meeting at West End, Brisbane on Nov 15th
The Dark Side of Water Treatments by Queensland Government
Date: Saturday, 15th November, 2008
Time: 2pm–5pm
Venue: Ahimsa house 26 HoranStreet, West End, Brisbane
Entry: Gold coin donation appreciated
Tea Included: Approx 3.30pm
The Issues: Recycled Water, Fluoridated Water
The Speakers:
1. Mr Snow Manners B.Econ., API (Toowoomba) (speaking at approx 2.15pm)
Snow is an economist and property valuer. He researched the issue of recycled water when it was proposed as a solution for Toowoomba. Snow coordinated the various opposition groups in Toowoomba which forced a poll and defeated the proposal. Two months after the poll he was elected to the Toowoomba City Council in a by-election and served the balance of the Council term as Chair of Strategy and Governance.
2. Dr. Andrew Harms, BDS ( speaking at approx 2.45pm )
Andrew is a dentist and Past President, Australian Dental Association, South Australia Branch. During a period of illness some years ago he changed his views drastically and is now an authority on fluoride toxicity.
3. Dr John Ryan (MB. BS. Qld)
John is a doctor, a Fellow and Former National Examiner of both Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and Australian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine. He has post graduate qualifications in Nutrition (M. Sc. Distinction, London), and Children’s Diseases (DCH Ireland). He was for five years a member of the Therapeutic Goods Advisory Committee on Complementary Medicines in Australia. He is a founding member of Professionals Against Water Fluoridation with 1800 professional members worldwide.
4. Mrs Merilyn Haines (B.App.Sc Med Lab Tech)
Merilyn is a medical scientist who has worked in most areas of pathology. She has a keen interest in social justice and applies these values to a heavy commitment in community and environmental projects. Merilyn is Chair and Founder of Queenslanders for Safe Water, Food and Air Inc and is a strong voice for those people who feel they have been harmed and neglected in the process of water fluoridation in Queensland. Merilyn had a family member harmed by Townsville’s fluoridated water, which sparked her interest and concern at the practice.
For further information, phone: Angus: 07 3254 4596 or Jeanie 0408 006 544
Web Site: www.qawf.org E-mail info[AT]qawf.org
Water fluoridation and the use of recycled sewage effluent are two of the most important health issues ever to face the people of Queensland. Hear from Professionals who have studied these issues over many years.
Comments
Ian Rudd
Thu, 2008-11-13 00:43
Permalink
Recycled Water, Fluoridated Water
James Sinnamon
Mon, 2008-11-24 03:10
Permalink
Toowoomba was to be a recycled water "living laboratory"
Kulu is wrong at least in regard to water recycling.
The residents of Toowoomba were indeed intended to be guinea pigs in the consumption of recycled water. This was explicitly stated in a document released under FOI legislation which stated that Toowoomba residents was to be the "living laboratory". (I can't precisely date or say who snet it ot whom, but it was show in a presentation by Snow Manners at the meeting of 15 November.)
It was a "living laboratory" because, contrary to the misinformation spread by Beattie, no-one else in the world uses recycling water for drinking. Singapore makes use of some recycled water, but, by law, it must be piped into the house separately. It is not used in London, although in Essex they have water recycling facilities which are only meant to be used in extreme drought conditions.
Nevertheless I think your point, that at least one unpalatable alternative must be adopted to get us back out of the hole that the Queensland Government and their corporate masters have gotten us into until we stabilise our population, is a good one.
It seems to me that the least undesirable of all the alternatives would be simply to endure whatever water restrictions we need to to get through our water crisis. The alternatives of more dams, mining underground aquifers, desalination plants or piping water in from far away will only make our circumstances worse in the longer term.
Copyright notice: Reproduction of this material is encouraged as long as the source is acknowledged.
Anonymous (not verified)
Fri, 2008-11-21 00:13
Permalink
What if people become ill? Will they be able to sue the SEQ Gov?
Ian Rudd
Fri, 2008-11-28 22:13
Permalink
Getting at the facts on water recyling
Sheila Newman
Fri, 2008-11-28 23:59
Permalink
Governments are not able to guarantee water technology
Anonymous (not verified)
Sun, 2009-01-25 03:12
Permalink
How much chlorine needed to make recycled water safe?
Something to ponder:
Put together hospital waste water being recycled (drugs/microbes) along with all the other recycled water contaminants of waste water and sewerage, the location of treatment facilities and a bird flu pandemic...what would happen?
Yes, it all ends up in the dams anyway...why not put it directly into the water supply and shorten the cycle....such is life.
Research shows that chlorinated water treatments are thought to be sufficient to inactivate the avian virus in water supplies. However, chlorinated as the water is in the U.S, the water supply has been known to carry residual drugs from human consumption and waste.
This cycling of water loaded with drug levels such as tamiflu might just up the quotient for a superbug problem once discharged into dams. But then again, it doesn't have to be avian flu which triggers an epidemic.
How much chlorine to ratio of waste water will keep the water safe? Certainly the research on chlorinated water combatting avian flu wasn't quite the SEQ scenario of pumping recycled water directly into the dams in high quantities.
Looking at statistics in avian influenza outbreaks and I think of the latest case in
Beijing, recyled water and drought ...some parallels to our scenario....drinking water in Beijing is well-chlorinated...apparently.
At 24°C in the tropics the virulence of influenza viruses in water exists for 2 days.At 7°C the virulence of influenza viruses in water extends to 14 days. Ducks, rice (fields, paddies = flooded by water; farmers at work drink the water from rice paddies) and people – not chickens – have emerged as the most significant factors in the spread of avian influenza in Asian countries. It is water-borne.
Dams/water birds/bird-droppings etc...join the dots for our own water supply.
With the Brisbane flu outbreak that is now globally circulating, low dams, recyled water stages coming online in our rivers, if not dams, and even a contamination incident coverup involving hospital waste water ..that was 2008.
August 2009 is the commencement of recycled water.
So chlorine...is supposed to kill avian influenza...however goodness knows what the ratio to contaminated water will ensure effectiveness in combatting infectious microbes and of what microbes it will be effective against and under what conditions.
If microbes are in the water supply...irrigation...food....anything that comes into contact with the water poses problems.
There are no guarantees. Chlorine has negative health effects (there is no doubt on that); water treatment is expensive (dental costs are too); chlorine kills microbes (not all, not always); waste water becomes drinking water eventually (treat or regulate); tank water (vs dengue fever), water-borne epidemic (vs how long does it take to activate chlorinated water in our supply and will that be soon enough vs all you have to do is boil the water) ...what do we define as an acceptable level of water quality and *quantity*...what is acceptable risk...no guarantees suffice in such scenarios.
Guaranteeing *no risk* is an invitation to litigation. Considering the dusty? taste of the water as chlorinated liquid poured from our taps this December (smelt bad, tasted bad, improved eventually) the whole of Brisbane would be entitled to compensation ...where sediments from heavy rain stirring up dry dams may indeed be the culprits or not.
Is a guarantee of any value at all? Who in fact pays the compensation?
Catch 22.
Add comment