Vol. 417 No. 9
213 Mr. D. Ahern asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the level of flouridation of the domestic water supply throughout the country, particularly in County Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Regulations made under the Health (Fluoridation of Water Supplies) Act, 1960 (No. 46 of 1960) prescribe that the amount of flourine which may be added to a water supply shall be such that the water, after the addition of the fluorine, shall contain not more than one part of fluorine per million parts of water, and not less than eight tenths of a part of fluorine per million parts of water. These regulations also prescribe that the fluorine content of fluoridation public water supplies shall be determined daily by a colorimetic method and, in addition, shall be determined by a distillation method at intervals not exceeding four weeks.
A general report on the fluorine levels for each fluoridated water supply is submitted by health boards to my Department on a quarterly basis.
Returns made to my Department by health boards of the results of testing by the distillation method of fluorine levels in water supplies in 1990 (the latest period for which completed returns are available) indicate that a satisfactory level was achieved in 81 per cent of the tests carried out and I expect that a similar satisfactory overall result was achieved in 1991.
Results for County Louth for 1991 indicate that a satisfactory level was achieved in 71 per cent of the tests carried out. My Department are in touch with the North Eastern Health Board with a view to bringing the results for County Louth up to the national average.
