Minister dilutes chlorination claims

Health Minister Kim Hames has hosed down claims Busselton’s water supply has caused adverse health effects since the Busselton Water Board introduced chlorine to the water supply.

Dr Hames and the Busselton Water Board have responded to questions from the Environment and Public Affairs parliamentary standing committee, following a petition calling for the immediate cessation of the chlorination.

The 7232-signature petition said chlorination had caused “significant distress, illness and injury to the community”.

In a letter to the committee, which is on the Busselton Water website, Dr Hames said chlorine was “essential” as a residual barrier to microbiological contamination.

He said there had been no claim of adverse health effects made to the Department of Health or substantiated by medical evidence.

“I can confirm for the committee that, in the absence of any evidence of a health risk presented to me by the DOH, there are no sound public policy grounds or public health grounds for acceding to the petitioners’ request to immediately cease chlorination of Busselton’s drinking water supply or to convene an inquiry,” Dr Hames’ letter stated.

The submission said the department had met with Busselton medical practitioners in October and invited them to forward reasonable concerns about chlorination affecting health for further investigation.

Busselton Water acting chief executive officer Geoff Oddy said 27 complaints of health-related issues of a “broad and general nature” had been received.

“Busselton Water is constantly monitoring and regulating the chlorine level in order to achieve the optimum balance between a safe water supply, while limiting the impact on taste and odour,” Mr Oddy’s statement said.

Petition author Diana Michaels said the important message from the submissions was the community needed to talk to their medical practitioner about chlorine-related concerns.

“The message from the Department of Health is that they need a third party to verify people are suffering and that in itself is quite difficult, medical practitioners are not magicians and for them to categorically say a condition is related to chlorine depends on their experience,” she said.

Mrs Michaels said there were 20 submissions to the committee including some from the water industry as well as South West MLC Adele Farina which included 30 victim impact statements.

“I hope to see the cessation happen. I am confident that the committee received a lot of information and that on balance they have information from real people who live here and if that matters for anything, there will be action taken,” she said.