30,000 at risk from aluminium in Co Donegal’s drinking water

3 July 2008

“The latest report 1 from the Environmental Protection Agency on the Quality of Drinking Water has revealed excess aluminium in several of Donegal’s drinking water supplies. This is cause for concern because all of this water is also fluoridated.” said VOICE spokesman Robert Pocock. Fluoride is known to combine with aluminium, rendering the resultant complexes even more of a health threat than each on its own.

The worst affected area is Frosses-Inver where in each of the eleven months monitored, aluminium levels were many times above the EU maximum. In November it was over eight times the safe limit. Frosses-Inver water is also fluoridated, with 1,500 people at risk.

Another 5,000 residents of Gortahork-Falcarragh were at risk for seven months in 2006 when excessive aluminium was found in checks by the Galway & Sligo Hospital laboratory. The Gortahork-Falcarragh water supply is also fluoridated.

The fluoridated Lough Mourne supply, serving 17,000 people, tested above the permitted aluminium levels in five months of 2006.

Excessive amounts of aluminium were also reported for Buncrana, Carndonagh, Cranford, Donegal River Eske and Inishowen East ---all supplies which are fluoridated and therefore cause for concern for a further 10,000 people across the county.

In over forty years the Department of Health has never conducted any research into aluminium/fluoride combinations, while international research evidence 2 indicates serious brain and neural effects from fluoride-aluminium complexes. Health Minister Harney insists that all public water supplies must continue to be fluoridated. However, this new data from the EPA, showing incidences of aluminium in drinking water that affects tens of thousands of people across the county, that suggests the policy must change at once.

VOICE has long since demanded that any water supply that is incapable of keeping aluminium levels well within the EU limit at all times of the year, must immediately stop adding fluoride in order to protect consumers.

ENDS

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NOTES

1. The Quality of Drinking Water in Ireland, 2006 . Published by The Environmental Protection Agency in February 2008.

2. http://www.fluoridation.com/brain3.htm