NZ - Hamilton looks likely to remove fluoride from its wate

Pull-outs tip balance in fluoride vote critics

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Hamilton has voted in favour of fluoride, now it seems likely to lose it again. Photo / Derek Flynn

Hamilton looks likely to remove fluoride from its water in a vote from which at least five city councillors say they will abstain.

A Hamilton City Council tribunal examining the topic has re-ignited intense public debate on the issue, with 89 per cent of the 1,557 submissions made to it in favour of stopping fluoridation. In 2006, 70 per cent of residents who voted in a referendum backed fluoride.