Longmont has fluoridated its water supply since 1958, but due to the last sodium fluoride mine in the country shutting down its operations this year, supplies have been restricted all along the front range, leading Longmont to exhaust its reserves.
“We haven’t fluoridated for about a month,” said Bob Allen, the city’s director of operations public works and natural resources. “The water supply does have fluoride in it from natural sources, but it’s not fluoridated to the recommended 0.7mg/L level since we ran out.”
Without any added fluoride, Longmont naturally has a 0.2mg/L of fluoride in its water supply.
The effectiveness of adding a chemical like flouride to water systems has recently come under some scrutiny due to a higher use of fluoride by way of oral health products like toothpaste and mouth wash. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention even reduced the recommended level of fluoridation from 1.2 to 0.7mg/L in 2013, but that hasn’t swayed the Longmont City Council to change its policy.