RFK Jr. Posts Photos of Himself Swimming in Sewage-Contaminated Water

X/@RobertKennedyJr

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. raised eyebrows after he posted photos of himself swimming in a creek contaminated with sewage and high levels of bacteria on Sunday.

“Mother’s Day hike in Dumbarton Oaks Park with Amaryllis, Bobby, Kick, and Jackson, and a swim with my grandchildren, Bobcat and Cassius in Rock Creek,” wrote Kennedy in a social media post, attached to photos which showed him taking a dunk, and even fully submerging himself, in the contaminated creek.

Social media users were quick to inform Kennedy that swimming in the creek was prohibited due to the “high levels of bacteria” that have been found within the water.

“Swimming and wading are not allowed due to high bacteria levels,” the National Park Service warns visitors to the creek. “Rock Creek has high levels of bacteria and other infectious pathogens that make swimming, wading, and other contact with the water a hazard to human (and pet) health. Please protect yourself and your pooches by staying on trails and out of the creek. All District waterways are subject to a swim ban – this means wading, too!”

According to Vanity Fair, a 2021 report found “high E. coli values, indicating sewage pollution,” in the water.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – which is overseen by Kennedy’s department – warns on its website that E. coli “can make people sick with diarrhea, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, sepsis, and other illnesses,” and can be transmitted through “contaminated food or water.”