Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attends a campaign event for Republican presidential nominee and former US President Donald Trump in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US on November 1, 2024. Photo courtesy: Reuters
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent proponent of public health claims whom Republican presidential nominee and former US President Donald Trump has promised to put in charge of health initiatives, said on Saturday (November 2, 2024) that Mr Trump will do so. Pushed for removal of fluoride from drinking water on his first day in office.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear. Adding low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.
Mr Kennedy made the announcement on social media platform X with various claims about the health effects of fluoride.
“On January 20, will Mr. Trump’s White House advise all of America? Water systems to remove fluoride from public water,” Mr. Kennedy wrote. Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, “want to make America healthy again,” he said, repeating a phrase Mr. Trump often uses and links to Mr. Kennedy.
It is unclear whether Mr Kennedy discussed the post on Saturday (November 2, 2024) with Mr Trump or his aides. The Trump campaign did not respond directly, and a spokesman for Mr. Kennedy did not respond when asked.
“While President Trump has received a variety of policy ideas, his focus is on Tuesday (November 5, 2024). election” said Danielle Alvarez, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign.
But the sudden and unexpected weekend social media posts exposed the chaotic policymaking that has defined Mr. Trump’s White House tenure, when he issued policy announcements on Twitter at almost all hours. It also underlined concerns from many experts about Kennedy, who has long promoted fragmented theories about vaccine safety, with implications for US public health.
“In the 1950s, federal officials endorsed water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay and continued to promote it several years later after fluoride toothpaste brands hit the market. “Although fluoride can come from many sources, drinking water is the main source for Americans,” the researchers say.
Officials lowered their recommendations for fluoride levels in drinking water in 2015 to combat a dental condition called fluorosis, which can cause stains on teeth and is becoming more common among American children.
In August, a federal agency determined “with moderate confidence” that there is an association between high levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ in children. The National Toxicology Program based its conclusions on studies showing fluoride levels nearly twice the recommended limit for drinking water.
A federal judge later cited that study in ordering the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to further regulate fluoride in drinking water. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen cautioned that it is not certain whether the amount of fluoride commonly added to water is lowering IQ in children, but he concluded that growing research points to an unreasonable risk that it may. Could. He ordered the EPA to take steps to reduce that risk, but did not specify what those measures should be.
In his X post on Saturday (November 2, 2024), Mr Kennedy tagged Michael Connett, the lead lawyer representing the plaintiffs in that suit, at environmental advocacy group Food & Co; Water monitoring.
Lawsuits pending against news organizations, including Mr Kennedy’s anti-vaccine organization The Associated PressAccused them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Mr. Kennedy is on leave from the group but is listed as one of its lawyers in the lawsuit.
It is unclear what Mr Kennedy’s role will be if Mr Trump wins on Tuesday (November 5, 2024). Mr. Kennedy recently told newsnation Mr Trump asked him to “reorganize” agencies, including the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and some agencies under the Agriculture Department.
But for now, the former independent presidential candidate has become one of Mr. Trump’s top surrogates. Mr Trump often touts the support of Mr Kennedy, a scion of a Democratic dynasty and the son of former Attorney General Robert Kennedy and nephew of President John F Kennedy.
Mr Kennedy traveled with Mr Trump on Friday (November 5, 2024) and spoke at his rallies in Michigan and Wisconsin.
Mr Trump said on Saturday (November 2, 2024) that he told Mr Kennedy: “You can work on food; You can work on whatever you want except oil policy.
“He wants health; He wants women’s health, he wants men’s health, he wants kids, he wants everything,” Mr Trump said.
published – November 03, 2024 09:32 am IST