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Shortly before Donald Trump<\/strong> nominated<\/a> Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<\/strong> to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services, the former third-party candidate told NBC, \u201cI think fluoride is on its way out. I think the faster that it goes out, the better.\u201d Kennedy wants fluoride out of tap water because, despite the fact that it\u2019s been widely credited with keeping people\u2019s teeth in their mouths and bones intact, he baselessly<\/a> believes<\/a> the mineral to be \u201can industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease.\u201d Which makes it pretty, pretty, pretty rich to learn that not only did Kennedy once sell bottled water containing fluoride, but that the product shilled by his company had nearly double<\/em> the amount of fluoride recommended by the EPA, and well over the amount typically found in tap water.<\/p>\n Yes, The New Yorker<\/em> reports<\/a> that in 1999, Kennedy and a partner founded Keeper Springs bottled water, which\u2014setting aside the issue of fluoride\u2014was deeply ironic, given that he was on a mission to clean up polluted waterways with his nonprofit Waterkeeper Alliance. As a professor of hydrogeology and water-resources management at Oregon State University would later note in a blog post<\/a> entitled \u201cWaterkeeper Alliance\u2019s Bottled Water Boondoggle,\u201d the \u201cnegative aspects\u201d of the product Kennedy was selling included \u201cplastic bottles. Expense. Transportation costs and GHG emissions. Undermining support for public water supply systems. And so on.\u201d Another awkward detail: According to The New Yorker,<\/em> one of Keeper Springs\u2019 bottler and distributors was Nestl\u00e9, which had \u201callegedly been exceeding its annual permitted allotment [in San Bernardino National Forest] by more than fifty-four million gallons,\u201d or \u201cmore than a million bathtubs too many.\u201d<\/p>\n As for the matter of fluoride, which Kennedy has gone after with a zeal nearly on par with the one he reserves for safe and effective childhood vaccines, well:<\/p>\n According to a 2009 chemical analysis, there was fluoride in Kennedy\u2019s bottled water. Each serving of Keeper Springs, this analysis determined, contained up to 1.3 milligrams of the mineral per litre. That\u2019s a higher concentration than is found in most tap water.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n Here\u2019s where things get even more ironic: While health experts actually agree<\/a> that consuming excessive levels of fluoride over a long period of time can cause health problems\u2014including lower IQ levels in children\u2014numerous organizations say that there are zero risks at the level recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency. Which is 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter of drinking water, i.e. nearly half<\/em> of what was reportedly found in Kennedy\u2019s bottled water. (A spokesperson for Kennedy declined Vanity Fair<\/em>\u2019s request for comment.) Last month, The New York Times<\/em> reported that \u201ca recent analysis by the\u00a0federal government\u2019s National Toxicology Program\u00a0found that fluoride levels at or above 1.5 milligrams per liter\u2014more than twice the EPA recommended level\u2014are \u2018consistently associated with lower IQ in children.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Anyway, according to Chris Bartle,<\/strong> who cofounded Keeper Springs, Kennedy did not appear to take issue with fluoride in the water they were selling. \u201cI never heard it mentioned,\u201d he told The New Yorker.<\/em><\/p>\n If you would like to receive the Levin Report in your inbox daily, click<\/em> here<\/em><\/a> to subscribe.<\/em><\/p>\n The second term is off to a great start<\/strong><\/p>\n This content can also be viewed on the site it originates<\/a> from.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Critics of Biden\u2019s pardoning of his son appear to suggest not having done so would\u2019ve stopped Trump from abusing power<\/strong><\/p>\n This content can also be viewed on the site it originates<\/a> from.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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