RFK, Jr., and other potential and current government officials have spread shaky health claims about fluoridated water. Scientists explain the evidence behind its safety and benefits

President-elect Donald Trump has picked Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as his Health and Human Services secretary and while we don’t know what the policies will be, one thing Kennedy has signaled he would look at is fluoridation of water across the United States.

The Washington Post and other media noted that medical organizations responded by calling Kennedy’s assertions unfounded at the levels of fluoridation used in drinking water. But many of them have also noted that in an NBC interview, Trump said possible action against fluoridation of water “sounds OK to me ... You know, it’s possible.”

Florida's surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, cited developmental concerns from higher levels of fluoride than are found in most U.S. water supplies.

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo — echoing viewpoints propagated by Robert F. Kennedy, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to become the nation’s chief health official — recommended against community fluoridation of drinking water Friday.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's choice to head the Department of Health and Human Services, has said Trump will call for an end to adding fluoride to public water supplies.

Here is what you need to know about fluoridation of drinking water as a public health measure and recent developments surrounding the issue. WHAT IS FLUORIDE AND WHAT ARE ITS BENEFITS? Fluoride is a mineral that occurs naturally in water,

RFK Jr. called it “industrial waste.” But dentists, physicians, and fluoride researchers say fluoridated water is safe and essential to public health.