The Fla.-based company commends itself for being the world's leading supplier of "potash," an alkaline potassium compound, and phosphate, which is mined from nearly 2,000 acres of Mosaic-owned land in central Fla. The silicofluorides used to fluoridate the water are unprocessed industrial byproducts of the phosphate fertilizer industry.

The City of Austin, like many cities across the nation, spends millions of dollars on contracts with companies like Mosaic to fluoridate, or pollute, the region's water supply based on a few inconclusive studies alleging that it protects children's teeth from cavities.