Health Minister Nelson Bascome joked in the House of Assembly yesterday that the building that houses this paper and the Mid Ocean had mould — to prove a point.

Mr. Bascome became enraged as he spoke about asbestos and mould in the Par-la-Ville building that houses this paper to deny a story printed in the Mid Ocean yesterday.

At the centre of his rant was the Mid Ocean's front page story: "Ailments prompt beach health concerns" which detailed a mother's concern after, she alleged, her child became ill from swimming at Clearwater Beach.

Yesterday, during the motion to adjourn, he said he was being sarcastic when he made the claims about this paper's building, to prove a point about the need for more responsible journalism.

He said: "A building on Par-la-Ville Road is riddled with Asbestos and mould and the workers are going in there every day to produce papers.

"And they are risking their lives and no one has come out to say to them you shouldn't go in there to do the newspaper. I am talking about the building that houses The Royal Gazette and Mid Ocean."

Finally admitting he was not telling the truth he added: "I had to be facetious to make a point. It's trying when the Mid Ocean can do what it wants.

"It can send headlines around the world that state Bermuda's beaches are contaminated with just loose facts.

"They haven't taken one sample of water to the Environmental Health Office. When are they going to take responsibility?"

In the story a physician who said that though he had "no idea whatsoever" whether the water at the St. David's beach was healthy for swimmers, said he had treated a handful of people for maladies which arose after swimming there.

The doctor also said the numbers of those getting sick after swimming at Clearwater Beach was enough to "raise questions".

The story did also point out that the Health Ministry had been contacted and a spokesperson explained the water had been tested for Ecoli and Enterococci — it was clean.

Yesterday, Mr. Bascome elaborated on these tests stating that officers from environmental health had gone down to the beach on Friday to retest the water and again it was clean.

He added: "My health inspectors went down today and they did do testing on the beach and the only thing they found on the beach that was contaminated was a diaper.

"We will continue the testing, but we cannot continue to allow a medium to bring disrepute and misinformation about our country and on our national pride — our beaches. It's time to grow-up and be responsible."