Green Party T.D., Mr John Gormley, has accused the Government of providing misleading information in the debate on the fluoridation of Ireland’s water supply.

Mr Gormley accused the Minister of State for Food Safety and Older People, Dr Tom Moffat, of misleading the Senate when explaining the delay in the Food Safety Authority of Ireland’s report into unsafe fluoride levels and infant formula.

“The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) Scientific Committee has confirmed that bottle-fed infants are receiving unsafe fluoride levels. They reported, as long ago as 3rd October 2001, that, “the assessment indicates that infants below the age of four months are exposed to doses of fluoride that exceed the recognised ‘no observable effect’ level,” said Mr Gormley.”

“Amazingly this information has not been publicised and five months later bottle-feeding mothers are still overdosing their infants with fluoride from tap water,” he added.

Mr Gormley said that when Tom Moffat addressed the Senate last week on the fluoride issue he failed to mention the FSAI Scientific Committee’s findings. Dr Moffat misled the Senate when he reassured that, “international consensus on the issue of infant formula and risk of overexposure to fluoride causing dental fluorosis (fluoride tooth damage) is not established”.

“But this is not the case. There are numerous international studies linking fluorosis and infant formula,” he said.

Mr Gormley pointed out that in the US, the Academy of General Dentistry also contradicts Dr Moffat’s misinformation. They advise that in fluoridated areas, “it is recommended that parents use low fluoride bottled distilled water (labelled as “purified” or “distilled baby water”) or tap water with a reverse osmosis home water filtration system attached that removes most of the fluoride.”

Print PDF