News
- By Candice Wyatt - Updated Tue Feb 23, 2010 3:09pm AEDT
The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) says fluoride from Alcoa's aluminium smelter at Portland is making kangaroos sick.
The EPA's Bruce Dawson says the fluoride is being absorbed by the nearby vegetation which is then being eaten by the kangaroos.
He says the fluoride poisons the kangaroos and makes lesions grow on their bones, which renders them lame.
"Once kangaroos have restricted movement [it] has a significant impact on their welfare. So this is something that needs to be managed and avoided."
He says there is not a lot of information around about the impact of fluoride on kangaroos.
The problem is more common in cattle.
"There was a lot of research done in the 60s and 70s in the United States but this really has just started to emerge in terms of the impacts on kangaroos."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/02/23/2827687.htm
Photo: Fluoride from a nearby alumininum smelter is making Portland kangaroos ill. (ABC Local : Margaret Burin )
See also Smelter fluoride deforms kangaroos
ABC NEWS - Posted Tue Sep 18, 2007 12:18pm AEST
Lithgow City Council will convene a public meeting in the next few weeks to gauge public opinion on putting fluoride into the central western New South Wales town's water supply.
Mayor Neville Castle says there has been some unhappiness about a poll of residents' attitudes to fluoridation which was conducted recently by the Western Research Institute.
"A few of the councillors believe that the poll wasn't sufficient enough, so the idea of the public meeting was to see if further people, either for or against it, would be prepared to come along and be part of the debate or at least show their support in one way or another," he said.
Meanwhile, councillor Castle and deputy Mayor Barbara Moran were last night re-elected unopposed.
Subcategories
Latest Article Count: 21
The latest news from Lithgow Info...