Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am just conscious of time and I have two other questions I want to ask. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has said several reports indicated that oral exposure to manganese, especially from contaminated water sources, can produce significant health defects, especially for children. We have had people contacting us who believe their kids were sick in the last 12 months but they did not realise that manganese was present in the water and could have caused it. There is no way of checking it now because it is after the fact, but people have said to me that this is one of the reasons they cannot trust the water. They do not believe the manganese levels and they would not give the water to their children.