RFK Jr. cues up clash by calling for the removal of fluoride from drinking water

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is pushing President-elect Donald Trump to crack down on fluoride levels in drinking water, saying the mineral can lead to unintended medical problems — and setting up a clash with medical experts who defend it as a proven way to fight cavities.

Much of the talk around Mr. Trump’s landslide victory focuses on Cabinet picks, foreign wars and mass deportations, making the fluoride debate an unusual subplot of his return to the presidency.

Mr. Kennedy, a longtime activist and Trump ally who plans to serve in the new administration, outlined the plan in a recent post on X.

“On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water,” he wrote on X before the election. “Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease.”

Mr. Kennedy pointed to a recent court ruling that ordered the U.S. Environment Protection Agency to respond to a federal review that found a link between high levels of fluoride and lower IQ in children.

If Mr. Trump follows through, a federal recommendation to remove fluoride from drinking water is likely to spark intense pushback from groups who say fluoride is safe and a major medical achievement.

“Seventy years of research, thousands of studies and the experience of more than 210 million Americans tell us that water fluoridation is effective in preventing cavities and is safe for children and adults,” the American Dental Association says on its website.

Fluoride is a chemical ion of fluorine, a common element found in soil, rocks and water but added to food, beverages and oral care products. It is used to make the outer enamel of teeth stronger and less likely to decay.

Drinking water often contains a small amount of fluoride but not enough to fight cavities, so local water systems add it. The federal government in 1950 recommended putting a small amount of fluoride in drinking water.

The U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) recommends fluoride levels of 0.7 milligrams per liter, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention formally endorses the practice.

The CDC said its advice is not an enforceable standard, however.

“State and local governments decide whether to implement water fluoridation,” the CDC website says. “Often, voters themselves make the decision to adjust water fluoride to improve public health.”

The CDC said some states require water systems to provide fluoridated water while some places already have enough naturally occurring fluoride in their local water.

The EPA says water systems must notify residents if drinking water contains more than 2.0 mg of fluoride per liter.

The broader concern is that Americans are getting too much fluoride from sources other than water, such as teas, toothpaste, floss and mouthwash.

In August, the federal National Toxicology Program found higher levels of fluoride exposure, such as drinking water containing more than 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per liter, are associated with lower IQ in children.

The authors said their review “was designed to evaluate total fluoride exposure from all sources and was not designed to evaluate the health effects of fluoridated drinking water alone.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics questioned the validity of the report, noting the researchers looked at double the concentration of fluoride in the standard recommendation of 0.7 mg/L. AAP also said the practice had a long track record of safety.

Yet U.S. District Court Judge Edward Chen, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, cited the study in ordering the EPA to take regulatory action to address any “unreasonable risk” from fluoride levels in water. His ruling didn’t prescribe what steps must be taken.

Renewed debate in the political sphere reflects Mr. Trump’s decision to empower Mr. Kennedy, a former independent candidate who dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Mr. Trump in August.

Critics say Mr. Kennedy is too quick to espouse conspiracy theories about health topics, notably vaccines.

“I’m going to let him go wild on health. I’m going to let him go wild on the food. I’m going to let him go wild on medicines,” Mr. Trump said in October.

Mr. Trump, speaking to NBC News, was open to Mr. Kennedy’s push to eliminate fluoride from drinking water.

“I haven’t talked to him about it yet, but it sounds OK to me. You know, it’s possible,” Mr. Trump said.

Some of Mr. Trump’s allies seemed taken aback over the debate.

Shortly before the election, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina said fluoride wasn’t on his radar because voters in battleground states were worried about crime and unemployment.

“They’re talking about the border. They’re talking about 70,000 Americans losing their lives to fentanyl,” Mr. Scott, a Republican and Trump ally, told CNN’s “State of the Union.” “They’re not talking about fluoride.”