Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to go before the Senate looking to be confirmed as President Donald Trump’s secretary of Health and Human Services – but he will face questions about his controversial health statements made in the past.
One is that RFK Jr. has advised the nation to remove fluoride from public water supplies.
“Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease,” Kennedy claimed last November.
He wrote then that Trump and his wife, Melania, want to “Make America Healthy Again,” sharing a link regarding a court ruling that found the mineral poses enough risk to be further regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Fluoride is used to strengthen teeth, replacing minerals lost due to wear and tear. Nearly 44 percent of Americans have access to fluoridated tap water.
“Well, I haven’t talked to him about it yet, but it sounds OK to me,” Trump previously told NBC News. “You know, it’s possible.”
Kennedy and Trump made their statements before the president selected him as his nominee to oversee the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy’s confirmation hearing kicks off in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday morning. Should he be confirmed, Kennedy would have more power to regulate the nation’s health.
The National Toxicology Program previously determined with “moderate confidence” that there is a link between higher levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ in children, basing conclusions on studies of fluoride levels at approximately twice the recommended limit for drinking water. Previous research was done with similar findings, including a 2019 study that found higher levels of fluoride exposure during pregnancy were associated with declines in IQ in kids.
But, major public health groups support water fluoridation, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Dental Association, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC named nationwide fluoridation of drinking water one of the 10 greatest public health interventions of the 20th century because of a dramatic decrease in cavities since the process began in 1945.
Nearly all water contains some naturally occurring fluoride, but at levels too low to prevent cavities. The recommended level is 0.7 milligrams per liter, and state and local governments decide whether or not to implement fluoridation. In some areas, there is enough naturally occurring fluoride to prevent cavities.
Nearly a decade ago, for the first time in more than 50 years, the federal government lowered the recommended level of fluoride in drinking water, which had previously been between 0.7 and 1.2 milligrams per liter.
According to the Fluoride Action Network, 37 states give local governments and residents authority over fluoridation decisions, and 13 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, have laws to mandate statewide fluoridation. Some communities have rejected it, the group noted.
Around the world, fluoridation varies, with most European countries utilizing fluoridation in various ways, including through water fluoridation programs, fluoridated salt and milk, and other treatments. As of 2012, 25 countries had artificial water fluoridation to varying degrees, and an additional 28 had water that is naturally fluoridated. Nearly half of the 435 million people receiving water fluoridated at the recommended level were US residents.
Fluoride intake has beneficial effects and negative effects, according to the World Health Organization. It can reduce tooth decay and cavities, and it can cause bone disease after lengthy exposure to high amounts. It is estimated that excessive fluoride concentrations in drinking water have caused tens of millions of dental and skeletal fluorosis cases globally. Research on other impacts, like bone fractures, is divided.
The experts largely still say benefits outweigh the risks. The American Dental Association says studies prove fluoridation reduces dental decay by at least a quarter in children and adults — even with widespread availability to fluoride toothpaste.
“We get people who don’t want fluoride, and their kids will come in with a mouth full of decay. Then they won’t want us to do any treatment,” Dr. Meg Lochary, a pediatric dentist in North Carolina, told NBC News last year. “I’m like, ‘Listen, dental infections can be very dangerous. You can end up in the hospital.’”
With reporting from The Associated Press