Robert Kennedy Jr says Trump would call for fluoride to be removed from water supply

The former Republican presidential candidate, who now backs Mr Trump’s campaign bid, took to social media to with unproven health concerns related to fluoridated water.

Former Republican presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr at a Trump rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Friday. Picture: AFP

Robert Kennedy Jr said that, if re-elected, Donald Trump would advise local governments to stop adding fluoride to public water systems, while citing unproven health concerns about the substance.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention attributes fluoridated water with reducing tooth cavities by about 25 per cent.

Local governments determine rules about adding fluoride to the water supply, and more than 60 per cent of the country lives in an area where it is added to the water, 2022 CDC data shows.

In his post on social media at the weekend, Mr Kennedy said added fluoride was responsible for multiple health problems, but he did not cite any studies or evidence to support his view.

Conspiracy theorists have long cast doubt about the safety of fluoride, though their views have been repeatedly debunked.

In 2006, a panel of the National Academy of Sciences found that very high levels of naturally occurring fluoride in water could pose health problems and should be reduced. However, the levels that the panel found to be problematic were significantly higher than the amounts added to the water in the US.

Mr Kennedy has been crisscrossing the country to stump up support for Mr Trump since he ended his own presidential bid and backed the Republican nominee.

He had frequently said that Mr Trump would appoint him to play an influential role in food and drug policy, a passion of his.

But others close to the former president cast doubt on whether Mr Kennedy would have a significant role.

A spokeswoman for the Trump campaign didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Wall Street Journal