RFK Jr. to follow through on promise to ban fluoride in US drinking water

US Health Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has called for a nationwide ban on adding fluoride to public drinking water, a promise he made during the 2024 election campaign.

Kennedy kicked off a health and nutrition tour of America’s southwestern states on Monday, where he addressed the fluoride issue upfront.

“It makes no sense to have it in our water supply,” said Kennedy at a Make America Healthy Again press conference in Utah, per the New York Times.

Utah has already banned the fluoridation of drinking water, and is the first state to do so. Utah’s ban will go into effect as of May.

“I’m very, very proud of this state for being the first state to ban it, and I hope many more will come.”

Kennedy’s deputy chief-of-staff Stefanie Spear said the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention’s community preventative services task force will launch a new study of the health impacts of fluoride and provide a new recommendation based on its findings.

Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin, who joined Kennedy at the press conference, said the EPA will reexamine research on potential health risks in fluoridated water.

Water fluoridation standards were “most recently reviewed July of 2024, but a lot has happened since July of 2024,” said Zeldin.

“[The review of safety data] wouldn’t be happening, if not for Sec. Kennedy.”

Studies suggest that while fluoride, a naturally occurring mineral, can improve oral health — there are increased health risks, including stunted neurological development in infants, when levels get too high. That safety threshold is what will be reviewed.

Kennedy’s Healthy America tour will continue this week through Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. While in Utah Monday, Kennedy commended the state for banning “ultra-processed foods” in schools and restricting the purchase of candy and soda for people using federal food assistance benefits.