Robert Kennedy Jr. is saying some very weird things The US Secretary of Health represents the most radical wing of the government

In the United States, a controversial subculture has long been active, especially online, promoting chlorine dioxide (a toxic chemical substance related to bleach) as an alternative remedy for numerous illnesses. This belief not only lacks any scientific basis, but involves a substance that is dangerous to health — suffice it to say that it is mainly used as a disinfectant in industrial settings. Its use in uncontrolled contexts can cause, at best, relatively mild symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, and at worst, permanent damage to the kidneys and liver, as well as severe irritation of the mucous membranes, potentially leading to life-threatening effects in the most extreme cases. International health authorities strongly discourage any therapeutic use of it, as does the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. government agency responsible for regulating and controlling drugs and medical devices in circulation in the country. That said, however, Trump has appointed Robert Kennedy Jr., one of the main figures in the anti-vaccine movement, as the new Secretary of Health, a politician who for years has supported various conspiratorial and anti-scientific theories. The current Secretary of Health, as explained by Wired, not long ago referenced chlorine dioxide during a Senate hearing, though without naming it explicitly, speaking of an alleged openness by the Trump-aligned faction to consider alternative therapies during the Covid-19 health emergency. Although Kennedy Jr. has not directly promoted chlorine dioxide, those who believe in the benefits of this substance saw his statement as a sign of legitimization of the substance.

Online groups that have supported the use of chlorine dioxide for years – often on platforms like Telegram or Facebook – have seen a rise in memberships, reports Wired. These communities, which have long promoted the compound under names like "Miracle Mineral Solution" or "God’s Detox", have become active again and position themselves as a point of reference for those seeking alternative solutions for even very serious illnesses or those for which there is currently no real cure. The increasing visibility of the compound has also brought back to the scene some historic figures of the pro-chlorine dioxide movement. One of them is Mark Grenon, convicted in 2023 for selling the substance as a cure for Covid-19. After serving his sentence, he resumed appearing on controversial online shows, advocating the therapeutic potential of chlorine dioxide. The movement as a whole is now aiming to achieve an official review of the FDA’s stance and promote chlorine dioxide as a legitimate treatment. Their hope is that the Trump administration will support a renewed openness to these alternative therapies, involving the most radical wing of the Republican Party, whose most prominent figure is, indeed, Robert Kennedy Jr.

The current Secretary of Health has repeatedly supported the unfounded theory of a link between autism and vaccines, but has also claimed that the frequent mass shootings in the United States are influenced by the prescription of certain drugs, or that people who identify as gender fluid fall into a broader phenomenon caused by water pollution. And it doesn’t end there: during the pandemic, Kennedy Jr. – who is the nephew of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, assassinated in Dallas in 1963 – compared Joe Biden to Hitler. Around the same time, he claimed that Bill Gates was profiting from the vaccination campaign, in collusion with big pharmaceutical companies. Recently, Kennedy Jr. dismissed all members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a U.S. scientific body that manages the country’s vaccination campaigns. Despite criticism, many observers were not surprised by Kennedy Jr.’s move – who, as if that weren’t enough, also claims that exposure to wi-fi can lead to serious illnesses. Another initiative by the current Secretary of Health that failed to gain traction proposed solving the recent avian flu crisis, which had seriously affected poultry farms in the U.S. and had significant repercussions on the food industry, in a rather bizarre way: Kennedy Jr. suggested allowing the virus to spread as much as possible, so that only the immune animals would survive – a practice ethically questionable and highly dangerous from both a health and economic standpoint.