HHS and EPA looking into changes to nation’s fluoride guidance

(NEW YORIK) — About 10,000 people across the United States Department of Health and Human Services were laid off this week as part of a massive restructuring plan.

In a post on X on Tuesday afternoon, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the layoffs represented “a difficult moment for all of us” but that “we must shift course” because Americans are “getting sicker every year.”

An official at the National Institutes of Health with knowledge on the matter, who asked not to be named, told ABC News that the layoffs were an “HHS-wide bloodbath,” with entire offices being fired.

Sources told ABC News that affected offices included a majority of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Office on Smoking and Health, key offices in the Center for Tobacco Products, most of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the entire assisted reproductive technology team at the CDC.

Then, Kennedy told ABC News on Thursday that some programs would soon be reinstated because they were mistakenly cut.

In a video statement posted on X prior to the layoffs, Kennedy said that he plans to bring to the agency a “clear sense of mission to radically improve the health of Americans and to improve agency morale.”

In the six-minute clip, Kennedy claimed that the U.S. is the “sickest nation in the world,” with rates of chronic disease and cancer increasing dramatically and the lifespan of Americans dropping — though Kennedy did not present any data in his video to support those claims.

Smoking and the use of tobacco products contribute to both chronic disease and cancer — and the offices tackling those issues are among those that were gutted in Kennedy’s recent moves.

While Kennedy is correct in his statement that some chronic disease and cancer rates have risen, public health experts said — and data shows — that the country has made great progress tackling illnesses, including driving down cancer mortality rates, and that life expectancy is on the rise.

“Gutting the public health system while claiming to fight disease is a dangerous contradiction,” said Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist and chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital, as well as a contributor for ABC News.

“We should be focusing on strengthening – not stripping – the public health system if we’re serious about tackling chronic disease,” Brownstein continued. “Dismantling key infrastructure will only set us back in the fight to keep Americans healthy.”

American life expectancy increasing

In a post on X, Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator from 2022 to 2023, said Kennedy was incorrect in his statement about Americans getting sicker.

“So much of what is in here is incorrect,” he wrote. “Americans are NOT getting sicker every year. After a devastating pandemic, life expectancy is beginning to rise again.”

Between 2022 and 2023, age-adjusted death rates decreased for nine of the leading causes of death in the U.S., according to a December 2024 report from the CDC.

This includes decreasing death rates from heart disease, unintentional injuries, stroke, chronic lower respiratory diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, kidney disease, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, and COVID-19.

Additionally, age-specific death rates dropped from 2022 to 2023 for all age groups ages 5 and older, the CDC report found.

The report also found life expectancy in the U.S. is beginning to rise again after it dropped in every U.S. state during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Life expectancy in 2023 hit its highest level since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the CDC report. Data showed life expectancy for the U.S. population was 78.4 years in 2023, an increase of 0.9 years from 2022.

The drop in age-adjusted death rates was largely attributed to decreases in mortality from COVID-19, heart disease, unintentional injuries and diabetes.

“Claims that Americans are getting sicker every year simply don’t hold up,” Brownstein told ABC News. “Life expectancy is rising again post-pandemic, and we’ve seen declines in cancer, cardiovascular and overdose mortality.”

Obesity rising in children, decreasing in adults

Kennedy has said he wants to tackle the obesity epidemic, including childhood obesity.

Research does show that obesity is rising in children in the U.S. and is occurring at younger ages, with approximately one in five children and teens in the U.S. having obesity, according to the CDC.

A 2022 study from Emory University that studied data from 1998 through 2016 found that childhood obesity among kindergarten through fifth-grade students has become more severe, putting more children at risk of health consequences.

However, Jha pointed out in his post on X that “even obesity rates have plateaued and are beginning to turn down” in adults.

For the first time in over a decade, adult obesity rates in the U.S. may be trending downward, with numbers dropping slightly from 46% in 2022 to 45.6% in 2023, according to a study published in JAMA Health Forum in December 2024.

The study reviewed the body mass index, a generally accepted method of estimating obesity, of 16.7 million U.S. adults over a 10-year period. The average BMI rose annually during that period to 30.24, which is considered obese, until it plateaued in 2022, then dropped marginally to 30.21 in 2023.

“Recent research I co-authored in JAMA shows that obesity rates in adults have plateaued and are even starting to trend downward,” said Brownstein, a co-author of the study. “That progress reflects the very kind of long-term public health investment this reorg puts at risk.”

Chronic disease on the rise

Kennedy has made tackling chronic diseases a cornerstone of his “Make America Healthy Again” platform.

Over the past two decades, the prevalence of chronic conditions has been steadily increasing, according to a 2024 study conducted by researchers in Iowa, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas.

“An increasing proportion of people in America are dealing with multiple chronic conditions; 42% have [two] or more, and 12% have at least [five],” the authors wrote.

However, the study also found that the prevalence of chronic disease varies by geographic location and socioeconomic status. Residents who live in areas with the highest prevalence of chronic disease also face a number of contributing social, economic and environmental barriers, the study found.

A 2022 study from the CDC found chronic diseases linked to cigarette smoking include respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, as well as cancers and diabetes.

Rates of cancer have ‘increased dramatically’

Kennedy is correct in stating that cancer rates in the U.S. have increased, with incidence rates rising for 17 cancer types in younger generations, according to a 2024 joint study from the American Cancer Society, Cancer Care Alberta and the University of Calgary.

There has been a notable increase in incidence rates for many cancer types among women and younger adults, research shows.

Incidence rates among women between ages 50 and 64 have surpassed those among men, according to a 2025 report published in the journal of the American Cancer Society.

Additionally, cancer rates among women under age 50 are 82% higher than among men under age 50, which is up from 51% in 2002, the report found.

However, while cancer incidence has increased, cancer mortality has decreased.

A 2025 report from the American Cancer Society found that age-adjusted cancer death rates have dropped from a peak in 1991 by 34% as of 2022, largely due to reductions in smoking, advances in treatment and early detection for some cancers.

However, there is more work to be done and disparities still persist. For example, Native Americans have the highest cancer death rates of any racial or ethnic group in the U.S.

Additionally, Black Americans have a two-fold higher mortality rate than white Americans for prostate, stomach and uterine corpus cancers, the latter of which is a cancer of the lining of the uterus.

Dr. Jay-Sheree Allen Akambase is a family medicine and preventive medicine physician at the Mayo Clinic and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.

ABC News’ Dr. Niki Iranpour, Cheyenne Haslett and Will McDuffie contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) — During a press conference on Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled a plan to start phasing out eight synthetic food dyes in the American food supply.

HHS and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are looking to revoke authorization for two synthetic food colorings and to work with food manufacturers to eliminate six remaining synthetic dyes used in foods such as cereal, snacks, ice creams and yogurts.

Kennedy has previously been vocal about his opposition to artificial dyes, claiming they are harmful and calling for them to be removed from foods and beverages.

Studies have linked dyes to behavioral changes as well as to cancer in animals, suggesting this may extend to humans.

Some nutritionists and dietitians say that it’s best to avoid artificial food dyes, while others say more research needs to be done and the potential negative effects are still unclear.

What are synthetic dyes and where are they found?

Many years ago, some synthetic dyes were produced from by-products of coal processing, according to the FDA. Today, many dyes are petroleum-based and made through chemical processes.

They appear in many different types of foods including candies, ice cream, frozen desserts, crackers, chips, energy bars, cereals, beverages and more.

Halle Saperstein, a clinical dietitian at Henry Ford Health in Detroit, told ABC News her research has found there are about 36,000 products with Red No. 40, about 8,000 products that contain Red No. 3 and about one in 10 products that contain another type of synthetic food dye.

“The other thing to note is that many products contain multiple petroleum food dyes, not just one specific one,” she said.

Sandra Zhang, a registered dietician nutritionist and pediatric dietitian at the Frances Stern Nutrition Center at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, said synthetic dyes are very prevalent and are mostly used in packaged, processed foods that can be found in supermarkets and grocery stores.

“Synthetic food dyes are not found in nature, so they are man-made entirely,” Zhang said. “And so, they have no nutritional properties or benefits whatsoever. They are made only to enhance the appearance of foods.”

What have studies shown?

Research has suggested that some synthetic food dyes may be associated with behavioral issues in children and teenagers.

A 2012 meta-analysis from Oregon Health and Science University found artificial food colors may affect children’s behavior and exacerbate symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Another 2012 study found artificial food coloring is not a major cause of ADHD but can affect children whether or not they are diagnosed with the condition.

Additionally, a 2022 analysis from the California Environmental Protection Agency and two California universities found that there may be an association between synthetic food dyes and behavioral issues even in children without a diagnosed behavioral disorder.

In 2019, the FDA said an advisory committee did not establish a “causal link” between synthetic color additives and behavioral effects, but did recommend further research on the issue.

Are synthetic food dyes safe?

Experts are divided on the issue. Saperstein said she sees a credible link between behavior and synthetic food dye consumption based on the studies she’s read.

Zhang said she’s not sure if there’s a link between behavioral issues and synthetic food dyes and that more research needs to be done.

“At least from my patient care experience, I’m not observing … a kid consuming Gatorade every day makes a huge difference” in their behavior, she said.

She added, however, that scientific research linking dyes to neurobehavioral changes was done on animals.

Whether or not synthetic dyes are safe to consume, experts agree it is best to limit artificial food coloring consumption when possible.

Jennifer Pomeranz, an associate professor of public health policy and management at NYU School of Global Public Health, said she believes there is no need for artificial food dyes in the food supply because they don’t act as preservatives and they don’t have any nutritional benefits.

“There are natural dyes that [companies] can use,” she said. “And frankly, there’s really no need for such a brightly colored food supply.”

Earlier this year, under the administration of former President Joe Biden, the FDA said it was moving to ban the use of Red No. 3 in foods, beverages and medications after it was found to cause cancer in rats.

On the heels of Kennedy’s Tuesday announcement about eliminating other synthetic dyes, the International Association of Color Manufacturers, the trade association for the color additives industry, released a statement criticizing the HHS decision.

“Color additives have been rigorously reviewed by global health authorities, such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European Food Safety Authority, and the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, with no safety concerns,” the statement read. “Requiring reformulation by the end of 2026 ignores scientific evidence and underestimates the complexity of food production”

What about natural alternatives?

During Tuesday’s press conference, FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary mentioned watermelon juice and carrot juice as natural alternatives to synthetic dyes.

Some food manufacturers use concentrated forms of natural pigments found in fruits and plants — such as beets, blackberries, paprika, saffron, tamarind and turmeric — as dyes.

As the food industry shifts to natural dyes, more research should be done to study their safety and to formulate regulations on the concentration levels, Zhang said.

The FDA said on Tuesday it is fast-tracking the review of four new natural color additives: calcium phosphate, Galdieria extract blue, gardenia blue and butterfly pea flower extract.

Gardenia blue and butterfly pea flower extract come from plants, Galdieria extract blue comes from algae and calcium phosphate is a chemical compound.

Expert say food companies use synthetic dyes to color their products because they are cheaper compared to natural dyes. Some companies have stated their products are safe for consumption, and they are following federal standards set by the FDA.

Saperstein said another reason companies might use synthetic dyes is psychological, because people are more drawn to brightly colored foods than foods with muted colors.

“We’ve seen stories of companies switching [to natural dyes] and they feel it’s not bright enough, so they switch back,” Pomeranz said.

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(MILWAUKEE) — Kat Cisar, a mother of 6-year-old twins, found out in late February that her kids were potentially being exposed to harmful lead paint and dust at their Milwaukee school. By May, their school was on a growing list of eight others across the city, found to have degrading, chipping interiors that were putting children at risk.

Several schools have had to temporarily close for remediation efforts, including the one Cisar’s kids attend.

“We put a lot of faith in our institutions, in our schools, and it’s just so disheartening when those systems fail,” Cisar said.

Milwaukee’s lead crisis began late last year, when a young student’s high blood lead levels were traced back to the student’s school.

Since then, health officials have been combing through other Milwaukee schools to find deteriorated conditions that could harm more children. The plan now is to inspect roughly half of the district’s 106 schools built before 1978 — when lead paint was banned — in time for school to return in the fall. They plan to inspect the other half before the end of the year.

In the last few months, tests have turned up elevated blood lead levels in at least three more students, and the health department expects that number to grow as it continues to offer free testing clinics around the city.

Lead exposure — especially harmful for young children — can cause growth delays, attention disorders and even brain damage, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Cisar’s own children’s tests for lead levels showed no acute poisoning, but Cisar said they’ll have to keep monitoring it. Her children attended the school for three years.

“When you have little kids who are 3, 4, 5, 6 years old in a classroom like that, that’s worrisome,” she said.

The local impacts of federal cuts

Despite public health officials’ requests, federal help is not coming to Milwaukee — for now. The CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health was gutted on April 1, as part of the Trump administration’s effort to lay off 10,000 employees at the Health and Human Services Department (HHS), which oversees agencies like FDA and CDC.

The cuts included lead exposure experts who were planning to fly to Milwaukee later that month to help the city respond to the situation.

That has complicated the on-the-ground response, Milwaukee Commissioner of Health Mike Totaraitis told ABC News.

“We rely on the federal government for that expertise,” Totoraitis said. “So to see that eliminated overnight was hard to describe, to say the least.”

Erik Svendsen, division director of the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health before it was eliminated, said the layoffs have left Milwaukee on its own.

“Without us, there is no other unit at the federal level that is here to support them in doing what they need to do,” Svendsen told ABC News.

And not just when it comes to this lead crisis, Svendsen said. Milwaukee — and other cities — won’t have CDC assistance for other environmental threats that affect the buildings people use, the air people breathe and the water they drink, he said.

“States and local public health departments are on their own now as we prepare for the heat, wildfire, algal bloom, tornado, flood and hurricane seasons,” Svendsen said.

An HHS spokesperson told ABC News the CDC’s lead prevention work will be consolidated under a new division under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — though Svendsen said he and his team have not been rehired.

Without the experts, Svendsen said the future of the work is still in limbo.

For his part, Totoraitis, the Milwaukee health commissioner, said he empathizes with the frustration expressed by parents — some of whom argue that the issue began at a local level and should be solved there.

“Putting my feet in the parents’ shoes… thinking, ‘Hey, I’m sending my kid to school, it should be safe, it should be free of lead hazards’ — and unfortunately, that’s not what we found,” Totoraitis said.

“We found that systemic issues of poor maintenance and poor cleaning had left countless hazards across multiple schools that really put students at danger,” he said.

But the extent of the problem, Totoraitis said, only furthered his department’s reliance on the experts at the CDC, with whom he said they’d been constantly in contact with for the last few months.

Funding crunch: Hire more teachers or paint a wall?

Buildings in the U.S. built before 1978 can be properly maintained by locking the old paint under layers of fresh new paint. But budget constraints in Milwaukee delayed that upkeep, officials said.

“Underfunding in schools for many, many years has really put districts at a very difficult choice of whether they should have teachers in the classroom and lower class sizes or have a paraprofessional to support — or whether they paint a wall,” said Brenda Cassillius, who started as Milwaukee Public Schools superintendent one month ago.

“And so I think now we are learning and growing,” Cassillius said, to “make sure that we have the resources in place to deal with these really serious infrastructure issues.”

Cisar, whose twins are back at their school after cleanup efforts, said she still feels like there’s lots of blame to go around.

The lack of CDC resources, she said, has only compounded a longstanding issue in Milwaukee. But she said the lack of federal support has been disheartening, nonetheless.

“Maybe that would have just been a little bit of help — but it really sends the message of, ‘You don’t matter,'” she said.

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