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Longmont Runs Out Of Fluoride For Water Supply

LONGMONT, Colo. (AP) - A Colorado city has stopped adding fluoride to its drinking water due to a shortage of the mineral that helps prevent cavities. Bob Allen, Longmont's public works director, tells the Times-Call the city hasn't added fluoride to the water in about a month.

Water sink faucet
(credit: iStock/Getty Images)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevent recommends fluoridating drinking water to a level of 0.7 milligrams per liter. Longmont naturally has 0.2mg/L of fluoride in its water supply.

Water treatment operations manager Jim Kaufman says he's expecting his Belgium supplier to ramp up production in the next couple of weeks.

The CDC says shortages of fluoride are not very common and tend to last for a few weeks.

(© Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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