A Trump win could mean changes for California water, says RFK Jr

More than half of Californians and almost 75% of US citizens live in communities where fluoride was added to drinking water to prevent tooth decay, a measure hailed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control as one of the policies of the 20th century greatest achievements in public health.

But if Donald Trump is elected to a second term, water systems will be immediately ordered to end the practice, according to supporter Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

“On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water,” Kennedy said Posted Saturday on the social media platform X.

Kennedy described the mineral, which occurs naturally in all freshwater supplies, as an “industrial waste” that poses a variety of health risks.

On Sunday, Trump said NBC News that he had not discussed the fluoride proposal with Kennedy, “but it sounds fine to me.” A campaign spokesman reached for comment on Monday told the Times that while Trump “has received many policy ideas, focused on the election on Tuesday.”

Kennedy's statement follows a September ruling by a federal judge in California that could have significant implications for the long-standing public health intervention, but which several dentists and pediatricians say is based on a flawed interpretation of the available scientific evidence.

In his X post, Kennedy tagged Michael Connett, the lead attorney representing the plaintiff in this lawsuit, the advocacy group Food & Water Watch.

In late September, U.S. District Judge Edward Chen ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to take additional unspecified steps to regulate fluoride in drinking water.

In his judgment Chen quoted A literature review by the US National Toxicology Program found links between exposure to high levels of fluoride and lower IQ in children.

Although he couldn't “conclude with certainty that fluoridated water is harmful to public health,” Chen wrote, he still concluded that it posed an “unreasonable risk of harm.” His ruling did not specify what the EPA should do about this.

The American Dental Assn. and the American Academy of Pediatrics a joint statement raised concerns after the ruling, saying there were significant limitations study Chen quoted. The groups noted that the study only found associations with low IQ at fluoride concentrations more than twice the current recommendation of 0.7 milligrams per liter.

“The current decision does not change my confidence in the safety of optimally fluoridated water in the United States,” said Dr. Charlotte W. Lewis, member of the AAP Oral Health Section, at the time. “Water fluoridation is a public health policy based on a solid evidence base.”

In California, scientifically uncertain skepticism about fluoridated water has existed almost as long as the stuff has been coming out of taps.

In 1952, San Francisco and Antioch became the first communities in California to supplement their drinking water with naturally occurring fluoride after a series of studies showed that the mineral made tooth enamel stronger and more acid-resistant. Within a decade, the number of cavities in the permanent teeth of six-year-olds fell by 84%.

In 1962, the US Public Health Service recommended a fluoride level of 0.7 to 1.2 mg per liter in drinking water supplies. (In 2015 the service revised It is Recommendation to 0.7 mg per liter – an optimal level that maximizes dental health benefits while reducing the risk of tooth discoloration associated with excessive fluoride exposure.)

But as the number of California communities voting to fluoridate their water grew, so did the complaints from skeptics pushing debunked theories about fluoride's connection to cancer, AIDS and other diseases Story by Ernest Newburn, professor of oral biology at UC San Francisco.

Despite California's early leadership in water fluoridation, the country now ranks 39th among U.S. states in the share of the population served by fluoridated water systems. According to data, 57.5% of residents live in covered communities the United Health Foundation. (Kentucky leads the way with 99.9% coverage.)

An exploration study A study published this year found links between prenatal fluoride exposure and an increased risk of neurobehavioral problems at age 3 in a cohort of 229 children from the Los Angeles area.

The American Dental Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and others have rejected the study and raised concerns about the methods used to assess child IQ and maternal fluoride levels.

“It is irresponsible of the authors to suggest that recommendations on the beneficial use of fluoride to prevent dental problems be changed based on this study,” said Howard Pollick, a professor at the UC San Francisco School of Dentistry. shortly thereafter The study was published.

A larger study The study, published last year, tracked more than 2,000 children in Australia over five years and found no link between prenatal fluoride exposure and behavioral development problems.

Both Trump and Kennedy have said publicly that longtime anti-vaxxer Kennedy will likely play a prominent role in health care policy in a second Trump administration.

“I’ll let him have some fun when it comes to his health. I'll let him let off steam while eating. I’m going to let him go wild with medication.” Trump told his supporters during a rally at Madison Square Garden last month.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.