What RFK Jr could do on US vaccines, fluoride and drugs
President-elect Donald Trump has revealed his intention to select Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a known critic of vaccines, to lead the US Department of Health and Human Services.
The role covers a wide range of areas in the US health sector, encompassing food safety, medications, public health initiatives, and vaccination efforts.
If the US Senate approves his appointment, he will lead important health organizations that employ around 80,000 people and manage a budget worth trillions of dollars.
RFK Jr has consistently voiced opinions that go against established scientific findings, particularly regarding vaccines, leading to pushback from public health professionals regarding his nomination.
However, he has also taken stances that resonate with many people, examining the use of food additives and calling for limits to be placed on the influence of major pharmaceutical companies.
The nephew of President JFK attempted to run for president as an independent candidate but later withdrew and threw his support behind Trump.
As secretary, Kennedy would oversee major organizations including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Here’s his perspective on vaccinations, nutrition, fluoride, and health organizations.
Most health professionals strongly support vaccinations due to their proven track record in protecting against serious illnesses and eliminating deadly diseases like smallpox.
However, as the head of the anti-vaccine organization Children's Health Defense, Kennedy has been promoting discredited assertions about vaccines for almost twenty years.
In recent years, he has risen to fame in the United States for promoting the widely debunked idea that there is a connection between childhood vaccines and autism.
However, he has repeatedly stated that he is not against vaccinations and claims that his own children have received their immunizations.
Kennedy expressed that if he were to become a part of the Trump administration, he would like to investigate the safety data related to vaccines and then present his discoveries to the public.
Recently, he stated that he would not obstruct or prohibit vaccinations.
"If vaccines are beneficial for some individuals, I won't interfere with that. Everyone should have the right to choose, and their decisions should be based on accurate information," he said in an interview with NBC News last week.
Following Trump's announcement of his selection, the share prices of vaccine manufacturers such as Moderna, Pfizer, and Merck dropped.
In announcing Kennedy's nomination, Trump stated that Americans have suffered for too long due to food and pharmaceutical companies involved in "trickery, misleading information, and falsehoods."
Kennedy has frequently pointed fingers at the food and pharmaceutical sectors, along with their regulatory bodies, for the unhealthy state of Americans. He has expressed a desire to completely reform the systems that manage pesticides, herbicides, food additives, and medications.
He has advocated for prohibiting food colorings and additives, frequently referencing the regulatory guidelines in Europe.
"In an NBC News interview, he claimed, 'There are 1,000 ingredients in our food that are banned in Europe and other countries, and they are harming our children. These substances are present due to corruption within our regulatory agencies.'"
A representative from the FDA informed the BBC that it's important to "explore further and grasp the background of the figures" when looking at the estimates of approved chemicals in the US versus Europe.
According to a spokesperson from the FDA, both parties usually use the same basic scientific methods for assessing the safety of chemicals in food.
The official emphasized that varying definitions and approaches in regulations can impact outcomes. When there's a lack of clarity, it can lead to confusing comparisons.
Last month, Kennedy took to X to claim that the FDA is trying to prevent the use of various health-promoting treatments. He mentioned substances such as psychedelics, peptides, stem cells, raw milk, hyperbaric therapies, chelating agents, ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, vitamins, fresh foods, sunlight, exercise, and nutraceuticals, arguing that these options, which help improve health and cannot be patented, are being suppressed.
He stated that anyone involved in this corrupt system should be ready to "get their things together."
Ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine were touted as miraculous treatments for Covid, but these assertions lack scientific backing.
Kennedy has recently promised to eliminate fluoride, a mineral that helps prevent cavities, from the drinking water in the United States. Currently, around two-thirds of Americans have this substance in their water supply.
While the choice ultimately falls to state and local health agencies, Kennedy mentioned on X earlier this month that "the Trump administration will recommend that all US water systems eliminate fluoride from public water supplies."
He claimed that the chemical present in toothpaste and commonly used by dentists is a type of industrial waste linked to various health issues, including arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, reduced IQ, developmental disorders, and thyroid problems.
In 2015, the US Public Health Service lowered its recommendation for the amount of fluoride to be added to drinking water. However, since the 1960s, the federal government has been urging states to include small quantities of this substance in water supplies to help reduce tooth decay and promote dental health.
Recent court decisions have resulted in a decrease in the levels of fluoride in drinking water across the United States. Some experts are now raising doubts about the necessity of fluoride in water supplies, considering that it is already prevalent in toothpaste and various dental products.
In much of Western Europe, fluoride isn't added to drinking water. In England, only around 10% of the population has access to fluoridated water.
Eliminating it entirely could still be difficult, since the federal government doesn't have the ultimate power to make that choice.
Kennedy has consistently stated that ongoing health problems have intensified because federal health agencies have failed to take action.
During a recent rally in Arizona, he announced his intention to dismiss and replace 600 staff members at the NIH, the agency responsible for vaccine research, as soon as Trump is back in the White House.
The experienced attorney mentioned last month that he plans to dismiss "every nutrition expert" in the health and agriculture departments right at the start of a Trump presidency, claiming that they are influenced by corporate agendas.
He is said to be planning to closely examine the employees of various other health organizations, such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
