Robert F Kennedy Jr is calling for the elimination of fluoride from the US water supply, declaring it his first act as an official in a potential Trump administration.
Reports that the controversial former presidential candidate could be tapped for a position in the Trump White House have been circulating for weeks, with RFK tweeting that if appointed, he would “advise all US water systems to eliminate fluoride from public water.
In a post on
Adding fluoride to water has been touted as a major public health achievement, but doubts about its benefits and concerns about its impact on health have been growing.
Water fluoridation is a standard national policy in the United States, England, and Canada, but orOther developed countries such as Germany, SwedenScotland and Switzerland have discontinued it, arguing that people now get enough fluoride through other sources, such as toothpaste and mouthwash.
And earlier this year, a U.S. federal judge ruled that the EPA should reevaluate national fluoride regulations based on a study by a federal organization that provided “moderate confidence” evidence that fluoride was linked. with a lower IQ in children.
Still, Dr. Paul Offit, a physician in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, told NPR that Kennedy’s claims are misleading.
Dr Offit said: ‘Fluoride has been well tested. ‘It clearly and definitively reduces cavities, and is not associated with any clear evidence of the chronic diseases mentioned in that tweet.’
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a staunch anti-vaccine and stated that he would remove fluoride from public water systems if given a position in a possible Trump White House.
Other health authorities side with Offit and list water fluoridation as one of the top 10 public health achievements of the 20th century.
The NIH says it helps prevent cavities, stave off disease, and avoid hundreds of millions of dollars in associated medical costs for Americans.
Much of the literature on water fluoridation, which began in the United States in 1944, shows that the practice is safe.
Since then, the government has taken steps to fluoridate most public supplies, meaning that about 72 percent of Americans who use public water supplies drink water with added fluoride.
The element makes teeth more resistant to substances that can wear down enamel, such as citrus fruits, sugary foods and carbonated drinks, which thin and weaken teeth and make them more sensitive.
This, in turn, prevents cavities and other dental infections.
Since fluoridation came nationwide, rates of dental problems in children have decreased and dentists praise the program.
However, for almost as long, critics have expressed concerns about the safety of fluoride.
in your Post on November 2nd in X, Kennedy said: “Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders and thyroid diseases.”
He then linked to a video from vaccine advocate Del Bigtree.
It is unclear whether Trump supports this plan and he has yet to publicly state whether he would give Kennedy a position in his administration if he won.
However, the former president did say in a phone call with NBC: “Well, I haven’t talked to him about it yet, but it’s fine with me.”
But, Dr. Offit told NPR: ‘Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a science denier. Make up your own scientific truths and ignore the real truth.’
The US began adding fluoride to tap water in the 1940s. About 72 percent of Americans who use public utilities get fluoridated drinking water.
Fluoride is the active ingredient in most toothpastes, and 13 million children participate in fluoride mouthwash programs, in which students rinse their mouths with sodium fluoride mouthwash during the school day. according to the NIH.
In 2015, the US Department of Health and Human Services Agency reviewed the levels of fluoride added to water and decided to standardize the national recommendation.
Previous recommendations allowed for different concentrations depending on local air temperature, but the 2015 update set the limit at 0.7 mg of fluoride per liter of water.
However, this re-evaluation did not occur due to concerns about health impacts, but rather was intended to address concerns that higher levels of fluoride could cause white spots to appear on teeth.
But critics point to other countries that have removed the substance from their water supplies.
Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden have discontinued fluoride plans in favor of other national dental programs. They have not banned fluoride completely and, in Germany, there is a history of adding fluoride to salt.
Opponents of fluoridation point out that adding it to water may have been necessary for people in the 20th century who did not have access to fluoride in dental products, but that in the modern world, people already get enough fluoride, and exposure excessive could be harmful.
More recently, in the United States, a study of National Toxicology Program found that there was a link between high levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ.
The fluoride levels they included in the study were twice the federal limit for drinking water.
The authors wrote that this does not definitively prove that fluoride causes lower IQ, and noted that their study simply establishes a pattern between the two.
The authors said: “Many substances are healthy and beneficial when taken in small doses, but can cause harm in high doses.” More research is needed to better understand whether there are health risks associated with low fluoride exposure.
Still, federal Judge Edward Chen found the study’s evidence compelling enough to issue an order asking the EPA to regulate drinking water. He specifically asked
In response to Jude Chen’s ruling, the American Dental Association issued strong support for fluoridation.
It said: “The key takeaway for the public and the public health community from this ruling is that it does not conclude with certainty that fluoridated water is harmful to public health.”