S.I. No. 42/2007 - Fluoridation of Water Supplies Regulations 2007


S.I. No. 42 of 2007

Fluoridation of Water Supplies Regulations 2007

I, Mary Harney, Minister for Health and Children, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 2(3)(a) and section 4(1)(a) of the Health (Fluoridation of Water Supplies) Act 1960 (No. 46 of 1960), as adapted by the Health Order 1997 (S.I. No. 308 of 1997) and having complied with section 2(4) of the Health (Fluoridation of Water Supplies) Act 1960 and after consultation with the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (as adapted by the Environment and Local Government Order 2003 (S.I. No. 233 of 2003), hereby make the following regulations:-

PART 1 - PRELIMINARY

1.   These Regulations may be cited as the Fluoridation of Water Supplies Regulations 2007.

2.   These Regulations shall apply to all water supplied to the public by a sanitary authority through pipes, hereinafter referred to as “public water supplies”.

3.   In these Regulations:

“Minister” means the Minister for Health and Children;

“sanitary authority” means a county or city council as defined in section 2 of the Local Government Act 2001 (No. 37 of 2001);

“health authority” means the Health Service Executive established under section 6 of the Health Act 2004 (No. 42 of 2004).

4.   These Regulations shall have effect on and from 1 July 2007.

PART 2 -GENERAL PROVISIONS

5.   A sanitary authority shall perform the following acts in relation to the fluoridation of public water supplies:

(a)  the provision, installation and maintenance of equipment for fluoridation,

(b)  the making of arrangements for the addition of fluoride to the water, and

(c)  the testing of the fluoride content of the water to which fluoride has been added.

6.   The amount of fluoride which may be added to public water supplies shall be such that the water, after the addition of the fluoride, shall contain not more than 0.8 milligrams of fluoride per litre (mg/1) of water, and not less than 0.6 milligrams of fluoride per litre (mg/1) of water.

7.   Fluoride may be added to public water supplies either in the form of hydrofluosilicic acid complying with the specification for that substance in Schedule 1 to these Regulations, or in such other form as may be approved by the Minister.

8.   Equipment used for the fluoridation of public water supplies shall be such as may be specified or approved by the sanitary authority in consultation with the health authority.

9.   The fluoride content of public water supplies, to which fluoride has been added shall be determined daily at the water treatment plant. In addition, the fluoride content of public water supplies shall be determined by a method complying with the performance characteristics specified for fluoride in section 2 of part 3 of the Schedule to the European Communities (Drinking Water) Regulations 2000 (S.I. No. 439 of 2000) or any enactment amending or replacing those Regulations, at intervals not exceeding 2 weeks during the period of 6 months after the date on which fluoride shall have been first so added and thereafter at intervals not exceeding one calendar month.

10. A sanitary authority shall arrange for:-

(a) the provision, installation and maintenance of equipment for fluoridation,

(b) the making of arrangements for the addition of fluoride to the water, and

(c) the testing of the fluoride content of the water to which fluoride has been added,

as agent for the health authority.

PART 3 - REVOCATIONS

11. (1) The Regulations listed in Schedule 2 to these Regulations are revoked.

(2)  References in any other instrument to the Regulations revoked under paragraph (1) shall be construed as references to these Regulations as appropriate.

Schedule 1

Specification for Hydrofluosilicic acid of 10.9 per cent strength.

The acid as supplied shall contain 10.9 per cent by weight of fluosilicic acid (H2SiF6) subject to a tolerance of 0.3 per cent above or below that strength, and shall contain not more than the limits for “heavy metals” as specified in the appropriate European Standard (IS.EN 12175:2001) and no other soluble mineral or organic substance in quantities capable of a deleterious or injurious effect upon health.

Schedule 2

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Dublin) Regulations 1962 (S.I. No.75 of 1962)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Kildare) Regulations 1962 (S.I. No. 76 of 1962)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Wicklow) Regulations 1962 (S.I. No. 77 of 1962)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Cork) Regulations 1963 (S.I. No. 29 of 1963)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Limerick) Regulations 1963 (S.I. No. 30 of 1963)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Waterford) Regulations 1963 (S.I. No. 31 of 1963)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Kildare) (Amendment) Regulations 1964 (S.I. No. 273 of 1964)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Laoighis) Regulations 1964 (S.I. No. 274 of 1964)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Louth) Regulations 1964 (S.I. No. 275 of 1964)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Offaly) Regulations 1964 (S.I. No. 276 of 1964)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Tipperary South Riding) Regulations 1964 (S.I. No. 277 of 1964)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Westmeath) Regulations 1964 (S.I. No. 278 of 1964)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Cork) Regulations 1965 (S.I. No. 130 of 1965)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Donegal) Regulations 1965 (S.I. No. 69 of 1965)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Mayo) Regulations 1965 (S.I. No. 70 of 1965)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Meath) Regulations 1965 (S.I. No. 71 of 1965)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Sligo) Regulations 1965 (S.I. No. 72 of 1965)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Carlow) Regulations 1965 (S.I. No. 88 of 1965)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Cavan) Regulations 1965 (S.I. No. 89 of 1965)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Clare) Regulations 1965 (S.I. No. 90 of 1965)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Galway) Regulations 1965 (S.I. No. 91 of 1965)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Kerry) Regulations 1965 (S.I. No. 92 of 1965)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Kilkenny) Regulations 1965 (S.I. No. 93 of 1965)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Leitrim) Regulations 1965 (S.I. No. 94 of 1965)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Limerick) Regulations 1965 (S.I. No. 95 of 1965)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Longford) Regulations 1965 (S.I. No. 96 of 1965)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Monaghan) Regulations 1965 (S.I. No. 97 of 1965)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Roscommon) Regulations 1965 (S.I. No. 98 of 1965)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Tipperary North Riding) Regulations 1965 (S.I. No. 99 of 1965)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Waterford) Regulations 1965 (S.I. No. 100 of 1965)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Wexford) Regulations 1965 (S.I. No. 101 of 1965)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Wicklow) (Amendment) Regulations 1965 (S.I. No. 102 of 1965)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Dublin) (Amendment) Regulations 1966 (S.I. No.268 of 1966)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Kilkenny) (Amendment) Regulations 1966 (S.I. No. 269 of 1966)

Health (Fluoridation of Water Supplies) Regulations 1971 (S.I. No. 119 of 1971)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Wicklow) (Amendment) Regulations 1974 (S.I. No. 287 of 1974)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Roscommon) (Amendment) Regulations 1974 (S.I. No. 338 of 1974)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Leitrim) (Amendment) Regulations 1974 (S.I. No. 339 of 1974)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Sligo) (Amendment) Regulations 1975 (S.I. No. 226 of 1975)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Cork) (Amendment) Regulations 1979 (S.I. No. 129 of 1979)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Tipperary South Riding) (Amendment) Regulations 1984 (S.I. No. 371 of 1984)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Limerick) (Amendment) Regulations 1985 (S.I. No. 242 of 1985)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Amendment) Regulations 1986 (S.I. No. 24 of 1986)

Fluoridation of Water Supplies (Amendment) Regulations 1987 (S.I. No. 69 of 1987)

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GIVEN under my Official Seal this

2 day of February 2007

Mary Harney

________________________

Minister for Health and Children

Explanatory Note

These Regulations provide for the fluoridation of public water supplies by sanitary authorities on behalf of the Health Service Executive.

These Regulations may be cited as the Fluoridation of Water Supplies Regulations 2007.