Joseph Zambon
Summary
- Robert Kennedy Jr. is Trump’s nominee to lead the nation’s healthcare agencies. He is unqualified.
- Kennedy is a conspiracy theorist, anti-vaxxer, and anti-fluoridationist. He spreads lies and misinformation.
- Vaccines have saved hundreds of millions of lives.
- Smallpox vaccines combined with an intense global public health effort eradicated smallpox from the face of the earth.
- Polio vaccines ended the terror of summer polio epidemics.
- Water fluoridation reduces dental cavities by at least 25%.
- The Buffalo Water Board removed fluoride for nine years. Dental disease mushroomed in Buffalo particularly among children and led to two lawsuits.
The Trump Administration Takes Aim at Water Fluoridation
On November 2, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shared a bold statement on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water.” This announcement came just ahead of President-elect Trump’s nomination of Kennedy for the role of Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Trump encouraged Kennedy to “go wild on health,” signaling a major shift in the administration’s approach to public health.
The HHS plays a key role in protecting the nation’s health, overseeing important agencies like the FDA, CDC, and NIH. Kennedy’s nomination raises concerns due to his controversial stances on issues like water fluoridation and vaccines, which many see as extreme. His views could have a significant impact on public health policies moving forward. Local political analyst Ken Kruly noted that Kennedy is “a vaccine-denying, worm-in-brain conspiracy promoter” nominated to lead the nation’s top health agency.
Kennedy is an Anti-Vaxxer
Prominent among Kennedy’s falsehoods is the widely debunked claim that childhood vaccines cause autism. This originated from a small study in 1998 by a British physician and fraudster, Andrew Wakefield, who falsified data. The paper was retracted and Wakefield was stripped of his medical license. It was discovered that Wakefield stood to make $43,000,000 selling test kits. Now, he’s a Kennedy associate and rumored to have a position in HHS when Kennedy is confirmed secretary. Kennedy said of Wakefield, “In any just society, we would be building statues to Andy Wakefield.”
Dangerous Rhetoric and Misinformation
Some of the ideas Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promotes can only be described as “crazy time” rhetoric. According to The New York Times, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has perpetuated many unscientific and dangerous claims. Among his more outlandish claims are that HIV doesn’t cause AIDS, that 5G networks are part of a mass surveillance plot, and his infamous statement that “there’s no vaccine that is safe and effective.”
The problem is, all of these claims are false. Kennedy has used his famous family name to grab attention and appeal to those who are drawn to conspiracy theories. If he weren’t a Kennedy, it’s likely he’d just be another voice on the fringe, but instead, he’s been given a platform to spread misinformation.
It’s deeply concerning that some parents take his words seriously—choosing not to vaccinate their children, putting them at risk for preventable, sometimes deadly, diseases.
Vaccines Save Lives
The truth is, vaccines have saved hundreds of millions of lives. Take the polio and smallpox vaccines, for example—both have played a major role in eradicating diseases that once caused widespread suffering and death. Vaccines have revolutionized public health, helping to wipe out or drastically reduce diseases that devastated humanity in the past. The harm caused by spreading misinformation about vaccines is real, and it’s something we should all be deeply concerned about.
According to the Lancet, “Since 1974, vaccination has averted 154 million deaths, including 146 million among children younger than 5 years of whom 101 million were infants younger than 1 year…vaccination has accounted for 40% of the observed decline in global infant mortality.“
Yet, Robert Kennedy Jr., the nominee to lead the nation’s federal health infrastructure, has publicly declared, “There’s no vaccine that is safe and effective.” This statement is not only false but also an affront to the hundreds of millions of people alive today because of vaccines. Their very existence stands as irrefutable proof of Kennedy’s dangerous and baseless rhetoric.
Smallpox Killed Millions, But a Vaccine Eradicated It Forever
Smallpox was one of the deadliest diseases in human history, killing an estimated 300 million people in the 20th century alone—five times the death toll of World War II. For centuries, it wreaked havoc on communities around the world.
But thanks to an incredible global effort, smallpox was wiped off the face of the Earth. Through coordinated public health campaigns and widespread vaccination, the disease was eradicated, with the last known case occurring nearly 50 years ago. This remarkable achievement is a powerful reminder of how science, public health, and the effectiveness of vaccines can change the course of history and save millions of lives.
Polio Struck Fear in Parents Every Summer—Vaccines Ended That Fear Forever
Before vaccines, polio was a terrifying and unpredictable disease that could leave children paralyzed or even cause death. Highly contagious, it often attacked without warning, affecting the legs, arms, and sometimes even the muscles needed to breathe.
The worst polio outbreak in U.S. history occurred in 1952, when polio cases soared to about 58,000. Among these, 21,269 people—mostly children under five—were left paralyzed, and 3,145 lost their lives. Every summer, families across America were gripped with fear. Pools and theaters closed, and children were kept indoors, isolated from their friends, in an effort to avoid the disease.
Polio’s reach extended to many famous individuals, including Alan Alda, Joni Mitchell, Mia Farrow, and Itzhak Perlman, who still uses braces and crutches to walk. Senator Mitch McConnell, filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, and notable figures like Arthur C. Clarke and Benjamin Bradlee also experienced the lifelong impacts of polio.
The turning point came in the mid-1950s with the introduction of the polio vaccine. I still remember waiting in line at St. Anthony’s School to receive the Salk vaccine, which was given as an injection. A few years later, we got the Sabin vaccine on a sugar cube. These vaccines were a game-changer, with side effects occurring in just 1 in 2.4 million doses—an incredible achievement for science and public health. Thanks to the vaccine, polio went from a summer terror to a disease of the past.
Robert Kennedy Jr.’s Opposition to Fluoridation: Dental Cavities Will Increase
As a retired professor and former dean of the School of Dental Medicine, I’m deeply concerned by Robert Kennedy Jr.’s stance against water fluoridation. Recently, he announced that the Trump administration would “advise” all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water. It’s worth noting that this would be just an advisory, as the decision to fluoridate water is ultimately made at the state and local level, not the federal level.
Fluoridation is a proven, cost-effective public health measure that reduces dental cavities by at least 25%. Some studies even report reductions of up to 40-70%. For decades, the American Dental Association has called fluoridating public water supplies “the single most effective public health measure to prevent tooth decay.” The CDC also ranks water fluoridation as one of the “Ten Great Public Health Achievements” of the 20th century, alongside vaccines and tobacco control.
The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research points out that fluoride can not only prevent dental cavities but can even stop or heal dental cavities when they are small. Without fluoride, untreated tooth decay can lead to severe pain, missed school or work, costly dental treatments, and even serious infections that can become life-threatening.
Fluoride’s unique benefit is that it strengthens the entire tooth as it forms, something other treatments like topical fluoride or hydroxyapatite can’t do. These other treatments can help protect the tooth’s surface, but only fluoride in water can strengthen the tooth from the inside out as it develops. Fluoridating water is a simple, effective way to help protect oral health across entire communities.
Buffalo’s Fluoride Removal Led to a Surge in Dental Cavities
In June 2015, the Buffalo Water Board quietly decided to stop fluoridating the city’s water supply. For years, residents and local dentists had no idea this had happened. As one dentist put it, “We just assumed Buffalo was like most other cities that fluoridate their water.”
The decision to remove fluoride was kept under the radar for nearly nine years, until the situation was uncovered in 2023 by the Buffalo News, sparking public outrage. Only then did the Water Board restore fluoride to the city’s water.
Almost immediately after fluoride was removed, Buffalo dentists noticed a troubling increase in dental issues, especially among children. Dentists saw an epidemic of cavities, with many children developing extensive decay. Some even required major dental surgeries under general anesthesia to treat their cavities and oral infections.
Like vaccines that prevent diseases like smallpox and polio, people often forget the real consequences of not having fluoride in the water. The result isn’t just cavities—it’s pain, infections, and even serious health risks.
For example, Deamonte Driver, a 12-year-old boy from Baltimore, tragically died after a dental cavity led to a brain infection. This heartbreaking case highlights why preventive measures like water fluoridation are about much more than just keeping teeth healthy—they’re about saving lives.
Fluoridated water also helps protect older adults from cavities, particularly on the roots of teeth that show more as we get older. Hence, the phrase, “long in the tooth.“
The Predictable Impact of Removing Fluoride in Buffalo: A Growing Dental Crisis
The explosion of dental disease that is still emerging in Buffalo happened in other places that stopped water fluoridation.
Take Calgary, Canada, for example. After fluoridating its water for 20 years, the city decided to remove fluoride in 2011. Not long after, residents began experiencing more dental issues, with children in particular suffering more cavities. A 2016 study by the University of Calgary found that kids in Calgary had 50% more cavities in both baby and permanent teeth compared to children in Edmonton, a nearby city that continued fluoridating its water. Faced with public outrage, Calgary eventually brought fluoride back into its water supply.
Similarly, in 2014, Israel’s Ministry of Health decided to stop adding fluoride to its community water after more than 30 years of fluoridation. The decision sparked concerns about the long-term effects on dental health, as the negative impact on tooth decay began to show. A 2024 study found that after water fluoridation ended, there was “an almost twofold increase in the number of [dental] treatments over the years…“
The Buffalo Water Board and Its Controversial Actions Increased Dental Cavities
According to the Buffalo Water Board website, “The Buffalo Water Board was created to operate, maintain, and improve the water system…” But given recent events, one could argue that the board has failed to fulfill its responsibility to the community.
The Buffalo Water Board’s has found itself at the center of controversy, facing not one but two lawsuits over its actions. The first is a class-action lawsuit demanding $160 million in damages and the creation of free dental clinics to address dental disease resulting form the Water Boards’ actions. A second lawsuit was filed by the parents of a 7-year-old child who reportedly suffered “multiple cavities and extraordinary dental decay” .
At the helm of the Buffalo Water Board is Oluwole McFoy, who is preparing to step down and take a new job in Houston starting January 1. The board also includes Vice-Chair William Sunderlin and members Gerald E. Kelly and Denine Jackson. While it’s unclear what qualifications are required to serve on the board, it seems fair to suggest that having at least one member with expertise in public health might be a smart move, especially given the issues they’re facing. The community will be closely watching to see how the board addresses these challenges in the coming months.
Based on what’s happened in other places when fluoride was removed from community water supplies, Florida faces a large increase in dental disease. If communities follow the advisory of the Florida surgeon general, there will be more cavities, bigger cavities, and more oral infections, especially in children.