Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on Saturday that Donald Trump’s administration will order fluoride to be removed from water supplies if the former president wins Tuesday’s presidential election.
Kennedy, who has pushed unfounded theories about chemicals in water and who could oversee a health portfolio in a potential future Trump administration, wrote in a social media post that Trump’s administration would “advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water,” which he claimed was tied to numerous medical conditions. He called the element an “industrial waste” — and while fluoride can be a by product of some industry, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is also found naturally in the environment in water and rocks.
“On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water. Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease. President @realDonaldTrump and First Lady @MELANIATRUMP want to Make America Healthy Again,” Kennedy wrote.
State and local governments control most of the water supplies in municipalities across the country. The CDC recommends community water fluoridation as a cost-effective way to improve residents’ oral health. Exposure to fluoride above the public health recommended amount over many years can result in skeletal fluorosis, a condition that causes weaker bones and joint pain. A federal review published in August by the National Institutes of Health’s toxicology program concluded that higher levels of fluoride is linked to lowered IQ in children. The program based its conclusion on studies involving fluoride levels at about twice the recommended limit for drinking water.
“While President Trump has received a variety of policy ideas, he is focused on Tuesday’s election,” Trump campaign senior adviser Danielle Alvarez told CNN in response to Kennedy’s post.
CNN’s Kate Sullivan contributed reporting.
