STATEMENT 									AUGUST 2008

FLUORIDATED TAP WATER SAFE FOR USE IN INFANT FORMULA

The Independent, evidence-based body the Irish Expert Body on Fluorides and Health, states that currently there is no significant evidence of any adverse effects to the health of infants consuming infant formula made up with tap water which has been fluoridated at current statutory levels in Ireland. 

The Expert Body emphasises it is not recommended that people switch from using tap water to bottled water to make up infant formula. Bottled water is not advised for use other than in exceptional circumstances such as where home water is unfit to drink. In such situations, the advice of a public health nurse or paediatrician should be sought as to suitable bottled waters available at the time. Many bottled waters are unsuitable for reconstituting infant formula due to high concentrations of sodium and other ions which may be harmful to an infant over prolonged periods of usage.

This statement has been issued following some inaccuracies and scientifically unfounded connections regarding the suitability of fluoridated tap water in Ireland to make up baby formula. 

According to Dr Seamus O’Hickey, Chairman of the Expert Body on Fluorides and Health, “Statements which are being put in the public domain that are not founded on proper science could cause concern amongst consumers. There is no scientific evidence that water fluoridation causes any ill medical effects. There are no known significant side effects of water fluoridation other than dental fluorosis - which, where it occurs is a cosmetic effect of marks on the teeth, and this has been known for some 60 years. Surveys carried out throughout the 1980s, 1990s and the current decade indicate the overall prevalence of dental fluorosis in Ireland is low.”

“The Food Safety Authority of Ireland is of the opinion that there is no significant evidence of any adverse effects to the health of infants consuming infant formula made up with tap water which has been fluoridated at current statutory levels. Based on the FSAI’s risk assessment, the Expert Body accepts that the risk of dental fluorosis of the permanent dentition is insignificant in formula-fed infants aged 0-4 months residing in areas where fluoride levels do not exceed the statutory limit. The results of this risk assessment have recently been validated by the study “Fluoride Intake in Infants”, Whelton et al which concluded that “The results of the study were similar to the results of the risk assessment undertaken by Anderson et al” It further concluded that “The Fluoridation of Water Supplies Regulations were amended in early 2007 to redefine the optimal level of fluoride in tap water from 1ppm to a range of 0.6 – 0.8ppm with an optimal target of 0.7ppm. This will decrease the fluoride intake of infants consuming formula reconstituted with fluoridated water” 

The effectiveness of water fluoridation continues to be endorsed by a comprehensive range of international bodies including the World Health Organization, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States Public Health Service and the United States Surgeon General, the FDI World Dental Federation and the International Association for Dental Research.

The Expert Body’s view is that fluoridation continues to be a crucial and beneficial healthcare policy in Ireland and considers that fluoride concentrations in Irish tap water pose no known medical problems for infants or the population in general. 

ENDS