RFK Jr. says to tell the CDC to stop recommendations for urban water fluoride

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of the Department of Health and Human Services announced on April 7 that he would direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to stop recommendations for fluorination of urban waters across the country.

Kennedy also said that HHS will “study and create new recommendations on fluoride,” an independent panel of public health and prevention experts.

Kennedy disclosed the plan to the Associated Press on Monday at an event in Salt Lake City. There, Lee Zeldin, an administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was joined as part of the Make America Healthy (MAHA) tour.

On April 7, the EPA said it was reviewing “new scientific information” on the potential health risks of fluoride in drinking water. Agents have the authority to set maximum levels of fluorination in public water systems.

Kennedy is an outspoken opponent of underwater fluoride, calling it “industrial waste” and “dangerous neurotoxin” on the trails of last year’s presidential election.

Related Stories

Nearby the Utah legislators, Kennedy praised the state on April 7 for his emergence as “a leader who will make America health again.”

“It doesn’t make sense to have it in our water supply, and I’m extremely proud of this state that it was the first state to ban it, and I hope there’s more to come,” Kennedy said.

Utah Sen. Stephanie Grisius, a Republican and lead sponsor of the bill, said he allows pharmacists to prescribe fluoride for those who want to protect dental minerals.

“I believe in individual choices when it comes to the prescriptions and fluorides we put in our bodies are federally regulated as prescriptions,” Glycius told Reuters last month. “Community water fluorination and informed consent are the basis of good health care, but they cannot coexist.”

The ADA said the measure “deprives us of the most effective, efficient and fair way to prevent dental disease.”

Lawmakers from Ohio, South Carolina and Florida have also proposed restrictions on fluorinated water.

Although CDC recommendations are common, state and local governments will determine whether communities will add fluoride to the water. Currently, the maximum number established by the EPA, which is 4 milligrams per liter cannot be exceeded.

“As soon as I was appointed President Trump as the EPA administrator, my secretary immediately began talking about issues he was extremely passionate about. The number one on that list was fluoride,” Zeldin said.

Federal officials approved water fluorination in 1950 to prevent tooth decay.

Zeldin noted that the EPA is investigating scientific research into the potential health risks of fluoride in drinking water to “inform the agency’s future steps” on national standards.

“Committee Kennedy has been at the forefront of this issue for a long time. His advocacy has contributed to the decision to consider the risks of fluoride exposure, and we are committed to working with him.

A few days before the November presidential election last year, Kennedy wrote in a post on X that one of Trump’s first inaugurations was to advise the US water system to remove fluoride from public water.

Last week, the CDC’s oral hygiene division was eliminated as part of a widespread HHS staff cut.

Medical groups and public health experts have long argued that fluoride can strengthen teeth and reduce cavities.

Over time, the research documented potential issues.

Kennedy warned that fluoride in water can cause hyperthyroidism and osteoarthritis. Adding fluoride to the water “is clearly harmful,” he added.

“We shouldn’t require parents to accept anything in their children or home. It’s essentially a drug,” Kennedy said.