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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-06-22 Daily Xml
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WATER FLUORIDATION

In reply to the Hon. A. BRESSINGTON (28 October 2010).

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Public Sector Management, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister for Gambling): The Minister for Health has advised:

1. The statement was not deceptive and no correction is required.

2. Fluorosilicic acid and other chemicals used to fluoridate drinking water supplies must meet specifications for water treatment chemicals described in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines of the National Health and Medical Research Council. To achieve compliance with the guidelines, the manufacture of fluoridation chemicals is subject to strict quality control and assurance systems. Each batch of fluoridation chemical must be accompanied by a certificate of analysis, which verifies that it meets the specifications of the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines for these chemicals. Advice on this matter was provided by the Department of Health based on information provided by SA Water.

3. SA Water is responsible for the selection of chemical manufacturers with independently accredited quality control systems and ensuring that chemicals are pure enough to be added to drinking water. SA Water ensures that each batch of fluoridation chemicals is provided with certificates of analysis and does not accept chemicals if they fail to comply with the specifications of the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. These specifications define strict upper limits on impurities, including heavy metals. These upper limits take into account the level of dilution when fluoridation chemicals are added to drinking water.

The amount of fluoride added to drinking water is typically 0.8-1 milligram per litre. To achieve this concentration, fluoridation chemicals are diluted more than 150,000 fold. Consequently any compounds present are also diluted 150,000 fold so that concentrations in drinking water are in parts per billion to parts per trillion or even lower and are well below drinking water guideline values for these compounds. In the example provided by the Hon Ann Bressington, a concentration of 5.2 parts per million of arsenic in a fluoridation chemical would result in 0.035 parts per billion of arsenic being added to drinking water. The drinking water guideline for arsenic is 7 parts per billion. Fluoridation chemicals that comply with the specifications of the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines are considered to be pure enough to use.

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