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Donald Trump has nominated a vaccine conspiracy theorist who wants to remove fluoride from public water to lead the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who ran against the president-elect in the Republican nominee race before endorsing Trump, has a track record of espousing fringe, disproven claims about a range of health matters.
But if his nomination gets greenlighted by the Senate, which is more than likely, he will sit at the top of one of the HHS, giving him the power to decide what medicines are available to the American people.
Announcing the nomination on social media, Trump wrote: “I am thrilled to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).
“For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health.”
Under Kennedy, Trump wrote, HHS “will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives.”
Kennedy has previously shared disproven claims that vaccines cause autism and a range of other medical conditions, while earlier this month, he said on social media that the Trump administration would advise all US water systems to remove fluoride from public water, falsely claiming that it’s linked to “arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease.”
Experts say the amount of fluoride in water systems does not pose any of the health threats Kennedy claims. A 2017 study found that fluoride in water systems saves Americans more than $6 billion a year in dental costs.
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