(NaturalNews) The city council of a Canadian community has been informed that it may be legally liable for harm caused to any of its residents by the fluoridated water in the city's system.

"Not only is the region responsible and liable to the people of Peel, individual councillors are responsible and liable," said lawyer Nader Hasan, who is representing the group Concerned Residents of Peel, told the Peel Region council recently.

The Toronto Star reported that Hasan informed the council that Charter rights protecting against government policies that cause harm are currently being violated, and he further warned that if the fluoride is not removed from the city's system, there may be a costly legal battle ahead.

The Star further reported:

The group, with the help of Councillor John Sprovieri, wants fluoride removed from drinking water because of possible health risks such as bone cancer. He wants experts on both sides to present updated evidence.

After hearing from Hasan, the council voted to defer a move to reopen the issue until they meet again in September, when Peel Region legal staff will be able to deliver an opinion on Hassan's claims and arguments.

'Too many people are getting sick'

In 2007, Health Canada, the country's health service, announced that fluoridating water is safe at the levels currently permitted throughout the country.

In 2011, the City of Toronto public health board, under public pressure, voted to continue putting fluoride in the city water supply. And in 2012, the paper reported, Halton Region's council voted narrowly, 11-9, to keep fluoride in their system.

The Star reported that studies around the world "suggest low-level fluoride poses no health risks and is very effective at fighting tooth decay." But Hasan argued that many of those studies are either outdated, flawed or were not peer-reviewed.

In fact, he noted, a number of jurisdictions across Canada have removed fluoride from drinking water recently, including Calgary and Windsor, but many others have not yet followed them.

"Many jurisdictions, including all of western Europe, are not fluoridated," Hasan said. "Yet we see rates of tooth decay going down in these jurisdictions."

A founding member of the residents' group, Mississauga resident Liesa Cianchino, was instrumental in getting the issue before the Peel Region council, the Star reported.

"Too many people are getting sick," she said following Hasan's presentation.

Studies find fluoride to be a neurotoxin

In a recent online poll by retail club giant Costco, Paul Connett, co-author of The Case Against Fluoride and the director of the Fluoride Action Network argued that almost 100 percent of Europe's drinking water was fluoride-free.

"Most countries in the world (including 97 percent of Europe) do not fluoridate their water. Yet, tooth decay has been coming down as fast in non-fluoridated countries as in fluoridated ones, according to a World Health Organization study," he said.

Connett added: "It is a poor medical practice to use the water supply to deliver medicine. You cannot control the dose or who gets the medicine, and it violates the individual's right to informed consent to medical treatment."

As for studies, a number of found fluoride to be harmful, especially to children. A recent Harvard University study, for instance, found that fluoride was linked to higher incidents of ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

"Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) found that, among other things, the fluoride chemicals added to many public water systems in North America directly contribute to both mental and behavioral disorders in children," Natural News' Jonathan Benson wrote, citing the study's findings.

The Harvard study built upon previous research from 2006, which dubbed fluoride as a "developmental neurotoxicant." The more recent findings stemmed from a meta analysis of 27 studies, Harvard researchers said.

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