Vol. 473 No. 4
278 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment if he will have investigations made into the environmental consequences of water fluoridation in view of the fact that more than one tonne of fluoride is dispersed into our environment every day, through public water supplies alone. [1606/97]
279 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment if he will release the findings of any research undertaken into the environmental consequences of water fluoridation in Ireland. [1607/97]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 278 and 279 together.
The European Communities (Quality of Water Intended for Human Consumption) Regulations, 1988 fix a maximum admissible concentration for fluoride in drinking water. This is in line with the relevant EU standard and with the standard for water fluoridation set by the Health (Fluoridation of Water Supplies) Act, 1960. All drinking water supplies are regularly monitored to assess compliance with this quality standard. The results, which are reviewed and published annually by the Environmental Protection Agency in its report on the quality of drinking water in Ireland, indicate a compliance level of 88 per cent with the statutory limit value. While cautioning about the need for more careful management by local authorities in order to avoid exceedances of the standard, the Environmental Protection Agency has reported that exceedances, where they occur, are neither high enough, nor persistent enough, to constitute a hazard to water users.
Fluoride levels in surface waters intended for the abstraction of drinking water are also monitored by sanitary authorities. Results are significantly below the limits fixed separately in the European Communities (Quality of Surface Water Intended for the Abstraction of Drinking Water) Regulations, 1989.
