Lithgow Info

REYKJAVIK - April 18, 2010

HEALTH authorities have warned that the fallout of volcanic ash over parts of Iceland could jeopardise the safety of its drinking water.

And a geophysicist said the eruption showed no signs of abating.

Halldor Runolfsson from the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority said there were concerns for human health but the greatest risk was to livestock.

''It is important to prevent the ash from reaching water supplies, both for public and animal health reasons and for safe milk production.''

His colleague Guthjon Gunnarsson said the agency was evaluating the quality of drinking water, which was mostly protected because it was sourced from under the ground.

Dr Runolfsson said the ash posed the greatest risk to livestock because it contained high levels of fluoride, which can cause problems in bones and teeth.

Since the eruption began on Wednesday, it has been spewing a six-kilometre plume of ash into the sky, sending a giant cloud of it towards Europe and prompting the continent's biggest air travel shutdown since World War II.

The question for scientists is how long the eruption might continue, particularly at its current strength. Geophysicist Pall Einarsson, from the Institute of Earth Sciences at the University of Iceland, said that question could not yet be answered.

Iceland had many volcanoes, and their eruptions often followed a pattern, Professor Einarsson said. ''Usually they are most vigorous in the beginning. But this volcano is very different from that.''

Researchers were monitoring the volcano for indications that the eruption was tapering off.

One complication was the eruption's location, under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier. The underside of the ice has melted, causing flooding, forcing evacuations and destroying bridges and roads. The rest of Europe is concerned about how the meltwater might affect the volcano and the ash it generates.

Jennie Gilbert, from the University of Lancaster in Britain, said the presence of water could affect the characteristics of the sandlike ash produced by the volcano. As the molten rock hits the cold water, it is fused into a glassy material. When the pressure builds up and the volcano explodes, this material breaks up into fine particles. In Britain, the Health Protection Agency said some particles might settle to the ground but may not be visible.

It advised people - particularly those with respiratory problems - to have medicines on hand and to limit outdoor activities.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/volcano-ash-sparks-health-fears-20100417-slgb.html

# by Patrick Lion # From: The Courier-Mail # April 08, 2010 7:53PM

SOUTHEAST Queensland's fluoridated water has breached health regulations again as the Bligh Government admits treatment plant problems could continue to cause dosage errors.

A Queensland Health report reveals two out of the region's five treatment plants missed regulated health guidelines again during the final quarter of last year.

Plants at Molendinar on the Gold Coast and North Pine in Brisbane both underdosed water supplies in the three months to December 31.

Health regulations state the average measured fluoride concentration should be between 0.7mg/L and 0.9mg/L.

But supplies at North Pine recorded an average of 0.42mg/L, while the two water mains at Molendinar had only 0.6mg/L and 0.31mg/L.

SEQ Water spokesman Mike Foster yesterday admitted disappointment with the results but said supplies with as little as 0.4mg/L still offered health benefits.

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"SEQ Water is disappointed that not all five major water treatment plants ... are providing water fluoridated to the regulated level," he said.

"SEQ Water will continue to take a safety-first approach to the blending of fluoride into the water supplies."

The State Government-owned authority had predicted late last year the fourth-quarter results would be within guidelines because plant problems would be resolved.

But the quarterly report blames the breaches at the Molendinar plant on repairs to flow meters and switches and other modifications, while North Pine was still ramping up after being taken off line last May when it overdosed supplies 13 times above the maximum.

Mr Foster yesterday warned the commissioning issues may take longer to iron out.

"SEQ Water expects to start to hit required concentration levels on a more consistent basis over 2010 and beyond," he said.

But Opposition Leader John-Paul Langbroek said it was extraordinary the Government could not get the $35 million program right.

"It might have benefits at lower levels but clearly there is an optimum level," he said.

"For all the money they are spending, the benefit for the community is at the regulated level and this Government can't deliver it."

The Government has been scrambling to fix problems since the fluoride rollout last year. The North Pine overdose served water with 19.6mg/L - 13 times the 1.5mg/L maximum - to hundreds of homes.

The Boston Channel, USA

Chinese Fluoride In Mass. Water Raises Concern

Team 5 Investigates After Amesbury Pulls Sodium Fluoride From Water Supply

POSTED: 6:12 pm EST March 11, 2010, UPDATED: 10:00 am EDT March 16, 2010 - The Boston Channel

AMESBURY, Mass. -- Fluoride is added to the water most of us drink because the government believes it's a safe and inexpensive way to prevent tooth decay.

However, Team 5 Investigates found the Amesbury Water Department pulled fluoride from its system amid concerns about its supply from China.

Department of Public Works Director Rob Desmarais said after he mixes the white powder with water, 40 percent of it will not dissolve.

"I don't know what it is," Desmarais said. "It's not soluble, and it doesn't appear to be sodium fluoride. So we are not quite sure what it is."

Desmarais said the residue clogs his machines and makes it difficult to get a consistent level of fluoride in the town's water.

Since April the fluoride pumps in Amesbury have been turned off and they will stay that way until Desmarais can find out what's in the fluoride that's imported from China.
Both state and federal health officials told Team 5 Investigates that Chinese fluoride is safe.

The Department of Public Health said it believes that more than 650,000 customers in 44 Massachusetts communities are getting the flouride in question and only Amesbury has temporarily stopped using it.

However, they were unable to say with certainty which of the other 43 communities are actually using the sodium fluoride from China in its water.

The fluoride from China is not used in communities getting water from the MWRA.

The New York company that supplies the fluoride said it is certified by the National Sanitation Foundation which assures the quality of the product. But the NSF said the company has never been on its certification list.

Approximately 1,000 water systems in the United States use the additive to adjust the fluoride in their water supply, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Testing continues to determine the precise composition of the residue.

"They should test it to make sure...it is safe for us to drink," said Paul Stewart who lives in Newburyport. He said he has a right to know exactly what's in his water.

"On the same day that I read the story about fluoride coming from China, I also read about stories about melamine that was being contaminated in milk products coming from China," Stewart said. "And then we had another story about more lead in kids toys from China."

Since 2007, most of the sodium fluoride has been imported from China because it's the least expensive on the market.

"I don't think that when it comes to something that I ingest every day that the lowest bidder is good enough," Stewart said.
 

The Boston Channel