HC Deb 10 December 1964 vol 703 c232W
Captain Kerby

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is aware that Her Majesty's Stationery Office's Report, Fluorosis in Cattle, Occurrence and Effects in Industrial Areas of England and Wales 1954–57, has take seven years to reach the public; why this investigation has taken so long; and if he is further aware that this delay in publication has resulted in a number of local authorities opting for fluoridation of their water supplies, despite the fact that these areas are mentioned in his report in connection with atmospheric pollution by fluorides.

Mr. George Mackie

Information resulting from the survey which is the subject of this Report was published in scientific and professional journals in 1956 and 1959 and earlier this year, and has been discussed on a number of occasions with the organisations concerned. Preparation of the full data in a form suitable for publication had to be fitted in with other and often more urgent work at the Department's Central Veterinary Laboratory. I am advised by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Health that there is no effective risk of fluorosis to humans living in areas subject to atmospheric pollution, whether or not their water supplies are fluoridated.