Vol. 475 No. 4
184 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment the plans, if any, he has put in place to halt the consistent and excessive exceedances of fluoride in drinking water supplies, according to the Environmental Protection Agency Quality of Drinking Water in Ireland Review 1992-94. [5229/97]
The Environmental Protection Agency's recent report on the Quality of Drinking Water in Ireland in 1995, with a review of the period 1993-95, shows a steady reduction in the percentage of exceedances of the maximum admissible concentration for fluoride in the period under review. The report welcomed this improvement and the efforts made by sanitary authorities to address the problem, and it indicated that the levels found and the duration of exceedances do not constitute a hazard to consumers.
I am concerned, however, that there should be full compliance with the standard for this parameter. Accordingly, my Department will again be reminding sanitary authorities to pay careful attention to all aspects of the water treatment process with a view to remedying any deficiencies in management practices.
