It is reported today that consultants will be appointed by the government to examine the practice of adding fluoride to the Irish public water supply. According to the Irish Examiner, a commitment was given by the Agriculture Minister when he met with Fine Gael councillors in Cork yesterday.

The County Council is set to vote on a motion calling on the government to stop fluoridation. Ireland is the only EU member state which runs the system on a mandatory basis.

Cork County Council is the largest local authority to condemn the use of fluoride and councillors have voted by a huge majority to stop its use.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) and an expert body set up to monitor the policy say the concentrations of fluoride in drinking water pose no known medical problems.

Last November. Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley told the Dail people can suffer major health concerns by swallowing fluoride in their water.

He has tabled a Bill which would end fluoridation which has been in place in Ireland for over 50 years. It is added to public water to fight tooth decay but it has been claimed that it is now used to make the public more submissive.

The party claims that the chemical is dangerous at high doses and that people get enough fluoride from modern toothpastes.