By Devin Etta
The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has put a strain on global supply chains that is affecting a variety of products — including our drinking water.
Major water systems serving Baltimore and the Washington, D.C., suburbs have temporarily reduced fluoride levels in their drinking water in response to constraints on the availability of hydrofluorosilicic acid, the compound used to fluoridate drinking water to prevent cavities.
The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) announced that it began reducing the fluoride concentration in water for Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in early April. The following week, the Baltimore City Department of Public Works said it would also reduce the fluoride levels in its water.
The two water systems serve 1.8 million to 1.9 million residents each. Baltimore City’s DPW water also serves some customers in Howard and Baltimore counties, who buy their water from the city.
The water systems adjusted the fluoride content from the federally recommended 0.7 milligrams per liter (mg/L) to 0.4 mg/L to cope with constraints on the availability of hydrofluorosilicic acid.
Supply chain background
The conflict in the Middle East is blamed for disrupting production of hydrofluorosilicic acid from world producers, according to the WSSC press release. The US-Israel war with Iran and the conflict in the Strait of Hormuz have impacted U.S. fluoride levels, as Israel is one of the major global suppliers of the compound.
The majority of inorganic acids purchased by the U.S., like hydrofluorosilicic acid, are sourced from international producers. Israel is one of the largest exporters of inorganic acids in the world, according to a 2022 risk assessment by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The compound is generally made in overseas facilities, as domestic factories are limited. U.S. suppliers import the product and deliver it in tanker trucks to U.S. water treatment plants in liquid form.
WSSC continues to receive shipments of the compound, but at a reduced volume, according to its April news release.
Global disruptions have caused delays in chemical treatments in water before. But unlike the COVID-19 pandemic, the current shortage of the chemical is resulting in intentional reductions in chemical usage.
In March, Pennsylvania reported similar fluoride shortages for water systems in Lititz Borough in Lancaster County and Hanover Borough in York County. The lack of suppliers led the boroughs to consider a temporary pause in fluoride use, but both cases were resolved within weeks.
WSSC said the fluoride reduction is not related to a sewage spill in the Potomac River, from which WSSC filtration plants draw their water.
“They’re not reducing fluoride because of a localized reason; it’s due to their dependence on one supplier,” said Antoinette Barber, communications director of the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies.
Barber told Capital News Service that WSSC and Baltimore DPW made a unique decision to cut down on the compound in water instead of cutting it out completely.
In Maryland, 93.7% of residents served by public water systems are provided with fluoridated tap and drinking water. Despite the community fluoridation, there are still water system plants in the affected counties that have not announced concentration reductions.
The city of Rockville has its own water system that serves 70% of the city, or about 52,000 people. All other areas of the city get their water from WSSC. The city has not announced a fluoride concentration reduction like the WSSC’s. But Rockville’s water fluoride concentration was already below the U.S. recommendation of 0.7 mg/L.
Capital News Service’s data analysis compared the fluoride concentration levels for each fluoridated public water system plant serving Baltimore City and Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.
Before the reduction announcements, WSSC and Baltimore City’s water treatment plants detected average fluoride levels ranging from 0.7 to 1.41 mg/L during sample tests since 2021. In contrast, Bowie’s and Rockville’s water systems have consistently detected fluoride levels below the recommended level of 0.7 mg/L.
The recent fluoride reductions for WSSC and DPW water allow their water systems to contribute to the state’s community water fluoridation, without cutting out the compound completely. Community water fluoridation is the process of adjusting the amount of fluoride in drinking water to a level recommended for preventing cavities.
Maryland actively participates in community water fluoridation, with approximately 95% of its population served by public water systems receiving fluoridated water, according to the state’s water fluoridation plan. This percentage is higher than the national participation, which sits at 72% of the country’s population served by community water systems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Fluoride is not a required additive by the EPA, which regulates drinking water and provides recommendations. The addition is decided on a state and local level.
Despite the systems’ fluoride treatment reductions, the drinking water remains safe, say WSSC and Baltimore in their press releases.
Ben Thompson, WSSC Water’s director of production, said the utility aims to maintain quality drinking water with hopes to restore optimal fluoride levels as soon as supply conditions stabilize. But the timeline remains unclear.
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