The White House issued a strong rebuke on Tuesday to a New York Times article covering Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s review of current fluoride policies and his new initiative urging states to eliminate fluoride from drinking water.
The Times had published a story on Monday detailing Kennedy’s kickoff of a cross-country campaign advocating for the elimination of fluoridation in public water systems. The publication described the move as “a move that would reverse what some medical experts consider one of the most important public health practices in the country’s history.”
In its piece, the Times drew connections to Cold War-era fears, referencing past “conspiracy theories” that framed water fluoridation as a Communist plot intended to damage cognitive function. It also noted that “some studies suggest that excess exposure to fluoride — at levels twice the amount recommended by the federal government — could harm infants.” Furthermore, the article criticized Kennedy for seemingly contradicting the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s stance on fluoridation, as the CDC considers it “one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century.”
Calling the article misleading and politically motivated, the White House responded in a sharply worded statement: “The New York Times’s story on Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s review of fluoride recommendations is another thinly veiled attempt to falsely portray the Trump Administration as anti-science and anti-health — a characterization that couldn’t be farther from the truth.”
The White House also pointed out an inconsistency in the newspaper’s approach to the subject. “In January, The New York Times itself reported that ‘fluoride may be linked to lower IQ scores in children.’ Why did the Times not note its own prior reporting in its article on Secretary Kennedy?”
The administration’s statement went on to highlight several points it said the Times failed to mention:
• Fluoride is not added to drinking water to purify it; rather, it is introduced strictly for medical purposes. “Most industrialized nations, including much of Europe, do not add fluoride to their water — and it has had no discernible detriment on their dental health.”
• Even the CDC now acknowledges that fluoride’s primary benefit to dental health is through surface contact with teeth — not by consuming it — which undermines the need for its presence in drinking water.
• In August 2024, the Department of Health and Human Services’ National Toxicology Program stated it had “moderate confidence” in findings that fluoride in water at a level of 1.5 mg/L is “consistently associated with lower IQ in children.”
• Additional data from the CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys has uncovered notable correlations between even small fluoride exposures and various health concerns, including diminished testosterone in adolescent boys, heightened inflammation, compromised kidney and liver function, and more sleep disturbances.
Kennedy began his “Make America Healthy Again” tour on Monday in Utah — the first state to officially ban fluoride in its public water system, a decision made just last month. He plans to travel next to Arizona and New Mexico, where he will speak about other health-related policies, including the prohibition of certain artificial ingredients in school meals and limits on the use of food stamps to purchase junk food.
In New Mexico, Kennedy is also scheduled to meet with leaders from the Navajo Nation. Their discussions will center on initiatives like promoting local control over food sources, supporting wellness programs, implementing the first junk food tax by a Native American tribe, and spotlighting a charter school that weaves healthy nutrition and exercise into everyday student routines.
{Matzav.com}