Bottled water is being distributed to two remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory following a new study linking high fluoride levels in drinking water to lower IQ in children.

Residents of Nyirripi and Alpurrurulam (Lake Nash), Central Australian communities of 300-400 people each, have long complained about the quality of drinking water.

Although fluoride helps repair teeth and is safely added to drinking water at low levels in dozens of countries, naturally occurring fluoride levels recorded in Nyirripi and Alpurrurulam are above the safe limit set by the World Health Organization.

Power and Water Corporation (PWC), a NT government-owned utility, this week began providing bottled water to children aged 12 and under and pregnant women in communities.

Nyirripi community leader Michaeline Gallagher, who works at the local school, said residents were furious, having only been first warned about the dangers of high fluoride exposure at a meeting in October.

“I was worried about the kids, especially because they were drinking water from the tap at school,” he said.

“I had a lot of thoughts in my mind about what was going on and what was really going on.”

Brain development is affected in young people

The cross-country study, published in August by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Toxicology Program, found that drinking water containing more than 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per liter may affect children’s early learning and brain development.

The recommended level of fluoride in Australian drinking water is 0.6 to 1.1 mg/L, based on guidance from the National Health and Medical Research Council.

The latest PWC drinking water quality report found Nyirripi and Alpurrurulam had fluoride levels of 1.7 mg/L, but rose as high as 1.9 mg/L in 2017, when levels were first made public.

The evaluation found no evidence that fluoride exposure had adverse effects on adults.

PWC said it was “committed to providing safe and secure drinking water” across the Northern Territory.

“PWC is providing 2 liters of bottled water per person per day for drinking as a precautionary measure,” a spokesman said.

“Bottled water is available from the local community store for all children aged 12 and under and pregnant women.

“PWC is exploring long-term water supply options for both communities.”

Safe drinking water is not available

It is estimated that approximately 200,000 Australians do not have reliable access to safe and healthy drinking water, with remote Indigenous communities hardest hit.

A further 400,000 people across the country regularly drink water that falls below aesthetic standards.

In a landmark 2023 case, the Northern Territory Supreme Court ruled that a public housing landlord was legally required to provide safe drinking water to its tenants.

The decision over uranium levels in a remote community’s water supply has given tenants greater power to demand water quality improvement if it does not meet safety standards and to apply for any health impacts.

Ms Gallagher, a mother of three children under 12, said not enough was being done to ensure young people and pregnant women had easy access to bottled water in Nyirripi.

“In the long term, I want to see things change at the school,” he said.

“Children attend every day, and we need water for children… and we also need water distributed to homes (instead of a community tank).

PWC said Nyirripi’s tap water is “blended from existing wells to produce the best possible water quality.”

“New boreholes have opened in both communities and investigations are ongoing to determine naturally occurring fluoride levels or whether water treatment is required,” the spokesperson said.

In the Northern Territory, PWC also provides bottled water for babies in the communities of Nauiyu, due to fluctuating manganese levels, and Ti Tree, due to nitrate levels.