Brazil’s water and sanitation utilities are facing a shortage of fluoride as a ripple effect of the conflict in Iran and have asked the Ministry of Healthto temporarily suspend the legal requirement to add the chemical to drinking water, a measure intended to prevent tooth decay. According to Abcon (the Brazilian Association of Sanitation Companies), some utilities could run out of fluoride supplies as early as this month.
The industry is requesting a 90-day suspension of the requirement. “We contacted the Ministry of Health in early June. The interruption would give us time to rebuild the import supply chain, which is not straightforward because this is a sensitive, corrosive product,” said Carol Marques, Abcon’s technical and economic director.
Asked about the request, the ministry said access to fluoridated water is “recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO)” and that “studies show the measure reduces the prevalence of tooth decay in the population by around 50%.” It also noted that fluoridation accounts for just 0.2% to 0.6% of total water treatment costs in medium-sized and large cities. The ministry did not say whether it is considering suspending the requirement in light of the shortage.
The shortage is another consequence of the surge in oil prices since the outbreak of the conflict. Sulfur, a byproduct of oil refining, is a key raw material in the production of sulfuric acid, which is used to manufacture phosphate fertilizers. Fluorosilicic acid—commonly referred to in Brazil simply as fluoride—is itself a byproduct of phosphate fertilizer production. As a result, lower sulfur availability disrupts fertilizer output, which in turn reduces fluoride production.
In Brazil, the problem has worsened since April following production stoppages at facilities operated by Mosaic, one of the world’s largest fertilizer companies. “There were still inventories at distributors and water utilities, but those stocks are now running out,” Marques said.
In a statement, Mosaic said it is “actively working to identify alternatives,” but that “its ability to respond is constrained by prevailing market conditions.” The company added that “the normalization of fluorosilicic acid supply will depend on the stabilization of global supply chains, which is beyond its control.”
The sanitation sector is also feeling the impact of the conflict through higher prices for inputs such as aluminum sulfate, polyaluminum chloride, and PVC pipes, although supplies of those products remain adequate.
Original article online at: https://valorinternational.globo.com/business/news/2026/07/15/water-utilities-seek-fluoride-waiver-as-war-disrupts-supplies.ghtml