Vol. 515 No. 2
54 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to concerns of a group (details supplied) regarding the health affects of fluoridation of water supplies; if he has conducted any scientific studies on the allegations made in this paper; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4914/00]
I am aware of the issues raised by Sligo Action Against Fluoride.
The fluoridation of the public piped water supplies is an important programme for the protection of dental health and is subject to the provisions of the Health (Fluoridation of Water Supplies) Act, 1960, and various regulations made under the Act. The safety and effectiveness of water fluoridation as a public health measure has been evaluated frequently by the World Health Organisation and other reputable authorities, such as the Health Research Council of the United States, and concerns about adverse health effects have not been substantiated. In October 1999, the faculty of public health medicine of The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland issued a report which endorsed the safety and effectiveness of water fluoridation – I have arranged for a copy of this report to be forwarded to the Deputy. All of the reputable scientific evidence confirms the safety of fluoride when it is available in public piped water supplies at the optimal levels. These levels are the same as those required under the Health (Fluoridation of Water Supplies) Act, 1960. A survey of adult dental health carried out in 1991 found no significant difference in regard to general health status between fluoridated and non-fluoridated areas. If an authoritative body in this country or internationally indicates that there is an issue of public health significance relating to the use of fluoride in water which should be investigated, my Department would support this research in the usual manner.
References:
1."Fluorides and Oral Health" Report of a WHO Expert Committee on Oral Health Status and Fluoride Use (1994). WHO Technical Report Series no. 846. WHO, Geneva.
2."Water Fluoridation and Public Health" (1999). Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, Faculty of Public Health Medicine.
3."Review of fluoride benefits and risks" (1991). US Public Health Service. Report of the ad hoc subcommittee on fluoride. Washington DC: US Government Printing Office.
4."Fluoridation of water and cancer: a review of the epidemiological evidence" (1985). Knox EG, Chairman. Report of the DHSS Working Party. London, Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
5."Fluoride, Teeth and Health" (1976). Report of the Royal College of Physicians, London. Pitman Medical.
