Central AR Water goes 2 weeks without fluoride as Iran War disrupts supply chain
LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — If you’re a Central Arkansas Water customer, you’ve been drinking fluoride-free water for the past two weeks.
CAW, the state’s largest water utility, ran out of the chemical used to add tooth-decay-fighting fluoride to water.
It’s not just gas prices that the Iran war is affecting… It could cause cavities… Its impact on global supply chains has made it harder to source the fluoride-laden chemical used by many large water utilities, hydrofluorosilicic acid, or HFS.
“August 31 was the last day that we actually had fluoride to put in the water and then we’ve been without since,” Central Arkansas Water Public Affairs Officer Douglas Shackelford told KATV.
It’s the longest time Central Arkansas Water, which is required by state law to fluoridate its water, has gone without doing so. There’s no need to panic and start boiling water though, fluoride isn’t what’s used to clean water, that’s chlorine.
“Fluoride as a chemical and drinking water is not required for the safety of the drinking water. It is strictly there as a tool to assist with tooth decay and dental health issues,” Shackelford said.
And it’s not just CAW. Utilities in other states have also run out or reduced fluoride dosages.
Israel is one of the world’s top exporters of the fluoride-compound HFS. Amid wars engulfing the Middle East, at least one Israeli supplier of the chemical has faced workforce issues because of how many employees have been called into military service. Pair that with disrupted trade routes and the cost of fuel and it’s led to decreased production of HFS and supply shortages for the U.S. market.
“Most of this fluoride comes from overseas and as we’ve seen this conflict in the Middle East, some of those ships that are carrying the supply over are struggling to get to the US,” Shackelford said.
Central Arkansas Water did receive a shipment of fluoride Monday morning, but its supplier was only able to provide half the usually full tanker truck. For that reason and the ongoing uncertainty surrounding availability of the chemical, the water utility is reducing the fluoride dosage to make it last.
“From like a 0.7 milliliters per liter down to a 0.6…just to make it stretch out a little further so that we can try to, you know, keep the fluoride in the water until we get our next shipment. And I think that’s really kind of the question that’s in the air right now is when will the next shipment be made available to us? Are we looking at, you know, longer gaps between deliveries than what we were used to seeing? Or are we going to continue to also see maybe just half loads or whatever is available,” Shackelford said.
That half a tanker of fluoride Central Arkansas Water got Monday morning will only last about a month.