As the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election nears, former President Donald Trump has implied that R. F. Kennedy Jr, would likely play a significant role in his potential administration, hinting in a recent interview that Kennedy would be allowed to “go wild on health”. Kennedy recently announced via Twitter that Trump’s administration would “advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water” on the 20th of January.
Kennedy claims that the practice of water fluoridation is linked to various diseases such as “arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease”, tapping into a longstanding debate regarding it’d safety. While multiple healthcare organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have supported Fluoride, Kennedy points to a recent review by the NIH suggesting that exposure to fluorine that is above the recommended levels might lower children’s IQ scores and emphasizes the potential risks.
The recent federal court ruling on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to tighten its regulations on fluoride in drinking water, citing potential risks to children’s cognitive development could also bolster RFK Jr.’s stance on removing fluoride from U.S. drinking water. District Court Judge Edward Chen’s decision requires the EPA to address potential health risks associated with fluoride, citing evidence that suggests current levels may lower children’s IQ and lack a sufficient safety margin. Environmental groups led a decade-long battle challenging the EPA’s approval of fluoride in water, which led to this ruling. This decision, based on recent National Institutes of Health findings, marks a shift in federal response to fluoride concerns, granting critics an opening to argue for alternatives to fluoridation, aligning with Kennedy’s recent statements, as he continues advocating for public health policies that scrutinize established norms on fluoride and vaccine safety.
Kennedy’s involvement in the Trump campaign had been met with some within the GOP, however and overwhelming number embraced his endorsement and credited him for focusing on issues uniting both individuals. Trump’s discussion about Kennedy’s advocation for fluoride removal from public water systems suggests that he would be willing to consider policies that would dismantle various long-standing public health measures, underscoring the health policies that would be initiated by the potential Trump-Kennedy collaboration if Trump returns to the White House.
