Due to U.S. supply chain constraints affecting fluoride, municipal water utilities, most recently the authority that supplies drinking water to the Milwaukee metropolitan region, have had to reduce or stop adding the tooth decay fighter to public water systems.
On July 29, Milwaukee Water Works informed the public that it was temporarily reducing the amount of fluoride added to drinking water due to the availability of fluoride treatment additives, according to a Milwaukee Water Works press release.
“While fluoride levels will be temporarily lower than our usual target, Milwaukee's drinking water remains safe,” Mike Totaraitis, PhD, Milwaukee’s commissioner of health, said in the press release. “We appreciate Milwaukee Water Works' efforts to responsibly manage the remaining supply while securing a new vendor, and we'll continue working together to restore recommended fluoride levels as soon as supplies become available.”
Ongoing conflict and instability in the Middle East have affected overseas production and caused shipping bottlenecks, forcing some U.S. water utilities to maintain recommended fluoride levels in public water systems. In the spring, a few months after the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran began, some water utilities started to feel the pinch of the supply chain problems.
Beginning July 31, Milwaukee Water Works reduced its fluoride levels to about 0.3 mg/L. Before, the water utility added about 0.6 to 0.7 mg/L, which is consistent with public health recommendations, according to the press release.
The water utility is in this situation because its previous supplier was unable to renew its contract due to the ongoing fluoride shortage in the U.S. Once a new vendor contract is in place, normal fluoride levels will resume, according to the press release.
Earlier in July, the Lehigh County Authority in Allentown, PA, notified the public that it was temporarily not adding fluoride to drinking water due to supply chain issues, according to a press release dated July 9 from the authority.
The interruption of fluoride began at the end of May when the authority depleted its available supply of fluoride, according to the release.
