Tap water warnings for baby formula

LETTERS have been sent to maternity hospitals from an environmental group warning them of the dangers of using tap water in newborn babies’ formula feed.

According to Voice of Irish Concern for the Environment (VOICE), Irish tap water should not be used to make up baby feeds as it exceeds the maximum fluoride levels as recommended by the American Dental Association (ADA) and the British Fluoridation Society (BFS). The group says Irish tap water contains 0.7 milligrams per litre of fluoride while the ADA and BFS say only less than0.3 milligrams is safe.

VOICE spokesman Robert Pocock said dental fluorosis has increased eightfold among Irish teenagers in the past 20 years and this is a direct consequence of overexposure to fluoride.