Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Donald Trump will advise U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water if he wins the White House.
Trump has said former independent presidential candidate RFK Jr. will be in charge of health initiatives if he is victorious on November 5.
On Saturday, RFK Jr. posted on X: "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 Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump want to Make America Healthy Again."
He then shared a link to a report on U.S. judge Edward Chen ordering the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take steps to lower the risk of fluoride lowering children's IQ, in September.
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…
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) November 2, 2024The ruling did not say what level of fluoride exposure was harmful, but it said there was an unreasonable risk the levels in U.S. water could be. The EPA has been told to take steps to lower that risk, but Chen did not specify what those steps should be, the Associated Press reported.
The fluoridation of U.S. water began in 1945, but recommended levels have since been lowered because of health risks.
"Fluoride repairs and prevents damage to teeth caused by bacteria in the mouth," the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
The CDC does not mandate community water fluoridation, but it calls the fluoridation of drinking water "one of 10 great public health interventions of the 20th century."
"It is a practical, cost-effective, and equitable way for communities to improve their residents' oral health regardless of age, education, or income," it says.
Michael Connett, a lead attorney on the September case, representing the environmental advocacy group Food & Water Watch, said after the ruling: "You have agencies that have aggressively promoted fluoridation for decades in a very unnuanced, sledgehammer way, so it's quite a departure from that party line to say, 'Oh, oops, looks it might actually be damaging the brain. There's an institutional credibility and inertia issue."
RFK Jr. tagged Connett in his post and cited him in a response to oral physician Tobias Ilskov, who questioned him.
Trump campaign senior adviser Danielle Alvarez told the Associated Press: "While President Trump has received a variety of policy ideas, he is focused on Tuesday's election."
Newsweek has contacted Trump's team, via email outside of normal working hours, for comment. It has also contacted the EPA, via email, for a response.
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