Robert F. Kennedy Jr. repeated his plan to remove fluoride from nationwide drinking water on Wednesday, possibly reversing what’s considered one of the top public health achievements in American history.
President-elect Donald Trump has said repeatedly he plans to put Kennedy in charge of health initiatives during his administration. Though Trump admitted before Tuesday’s election that he didn’t know much about fluoride, he told NBC News Kennedy’s plan “sounds OK to me.”
Kennedy, 70, ran for president as an independent candidate but dropped out in August and endorsed Donald Trump. They appeared at several rallies together in the campaign’s home stretch.
“Trump has promised me … control of the public health agencies… which, you know, is key to making America healthy,” Kennedy said in late October.
Kennedy has long railed against fluoride and promoted other health-related and vaccine-focused conspiracies. Trump called him “a very talented guy” who would have “a big role in the administration.”
Fluoride has been introduced in low levels in U.S. drinking water since 1945. The federal government does not mandate fluoride in water, though it exists in water consumed by about 70% of the American population.
In 1999, the Centers for Disease Control celebrated “ten great public health achievements” of the 20th century, including the fluoridation of drinking water.
“Fluoridation safely and inexpensively benefits both children and adults by effectively preventing tooth decay, regardless of socioeconomic status or access to care,” the agency wrote. “Fluoridation has played an important role in the reductions in tooth decay (40%-70% in children) and of tooth loss in adults (40%-60%).”
Despite the success, fluoridation of water is still decided by local authorities. The federal government only issues recommendations.
