RFK Jr. Went Swimming In Sewage Water — Health Experts Beg You Not To Do That.

In today’s episode of “is this real life,” Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. decided it was a good idea to spend the weekend swimming (and take his grandchildren for a dip) in Rock Creek, a not-safe-for-swimming-or-wading body of water in Washington, D.C.

The Health and Human Services secretary posted photos of himself dunking his entire head underwater in waters that are known to contain high levels of bacteria, according to the National Park Service. Rock Creek is also known to contain sewage.

“One of the most common bacteria that is has been found in Rock Creek and in, really, any bodies of water that may have sewage contamination, chances are they’re going to have E. coli,” said Dr. Anita Patel, a pediatric critical care doctor in Washington, D.C.

“The creek has had a historically high level of E. coli in the water, and that E. coli, as we know, can cause very severe illness in humans and even in pets,” said Jessica Malaty Rivera, an infectious disease epidemiologist.

This is why the swimming and wading restrictions are in place, Malaty Rivera added — to keep people and pets safe.

“It’s the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] themselves who are the ones that have measured the types of colonies of bacteria in this and have said it exceeds any safe values that would allow people to wade in it,” Malaty Rivera said.

Beyond being harmful to people, it can also disrupt the flora and fauna of the creek, she noted. “So, it’s pretty rogue to do it for a number of reasons,” Malaty Rivera said.

You should not follow Kennedy’s lead and go for a dip in water known to be contaminated for many reasons. Here’s why experts are so mad that he did it.

“It’s helpful to compare it to the big recalls of contaminated lettuce,” said Patel. When it comes to lettuce, there are regularly E. coli outbreaks throughout the United States. And, as mentioned above, waters contaminated with sewage (such as Rock Creek) also carry an E. coli risk.

“For humans, [E. coli] can cause diarrhea, fever, nausea, vomiting, cramps, loss of appetite, fatigue. It’s not a pleasant experience. It’s a pretty it can be a very severe form of gastroenteritis,” Malaty Rivera said.

“If you’re really unlucky, [the contaminated water or lettuce is] going to have the strain of E. coli called E. coli O157. And the scary part about that E. coli is, particularly in children, it’s always the children, it can cause a rare but potentially lethal condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome, and it’s one of those conditions that’s really rare to the general public,” said Patel.

“In the lettuce comparison, when you hear about people that got sick from E. coli, the ones that you hear about as the general public are the ones that end up on dialysis or have kidney failure, necessitating a kidney transplant,” Patel said. “Well, HUS or hemolytic uremic syndrome is that condition that can cause essentially, kidney failure, but it really actually causes inflammation of all the vessels in your body, and that then results in kidney failure,” she added.

The majority of people who eat contaminated lettuce or swim in contaminated water are going to end up with diarrhea, vomiting and other gastroenteritis symptoms, Patel stressed, but for children, contracting HUS can be a concern.

While the syndrome is rare, “I would say I can’t go a quarter without having a patient with HUS,” Patel said.

“So, it’s one of those things that’s rare to the general public, but if you’re a pediatric ICU doctor, you’ve probably taken care of it more times than you can count,” she added.

It’s not a good idea to even splash around water that is known to be contaminated. While dunking your head under carries the most risk for E. coli infection, your hands can also become contaminated with the water, and if you touch your mouth, you could end up sick, noted Patel.

Beyond E. coli, other bacteria and pathogens from contaminated water can pose threats to you, too.

“Our skin is our largest organ, and if you have cuts on your skin, bacteria can enter through cuts. It can enter through orifices,” said Malaty Rivera.

“Thinking of your genitals… your genitals are very sensitive area, and that can be affected as well. There are things that can go through our bodies without having to enter through our mouth, nose and eyes,” Malaty Rivera added.

First, if you accidentally come in contact with contaminated water, wash your hands and yourself.

Second, don’t panic, Patel said. “Because, in truth, the majority of cases are diarrheal illnesses,” she added.

“But, if a reader, unfortunately, ends up finding out that they swam in contaminated water, I would say that this is the best of a worst-case scenario in that you know early on to be on high alert,” noted Patel.

You can monitor yourself and your loved ones for diarrhea and vomiting, along with the scarier symptoms of severe dehydration (which can occur as a result of the diarrhea and vomiting) like infrequent peeing or lethargy, Patel said.

If you notice these severe symptoms in yourself, your children or your loved ones, it’s important to get to the hospital ASAP, as early interventions can help combat the illness and protect the kidneys (particularly for children) from the kidney failure mentioned above.

While swimming in a body of water that’s off-limits and unsafe for humans or pets is not advisable, experts think Kennedy’s act signifies more.

“The reason we’re concerned is not just that he’s doing it himself, we’re concerned [about] the precedent that he might be sending to disobey regulations that are intended to protect the public,” Malaty Rivera said.

This is not the first time Kennedy has gone against public health research and guidelines. He’s suggested alternative measles treatments, which have made people more sick in the growing Texas measles outbreak, dismissed CDC autism findings and spread misinformation about autism instead and falsely stated that Black people need a different vaccine schedule than white people.

Unfortunately, going against public health guidance and taking a dip in contaminated water aligns with his “buck the system” attitude.

“Not to mention the fact that this is a very eerie time where we’re seeing the dismantling, the defunding of the actual agencies that are intended to create these guidelines to protect people, including at EPA,” Malaty Rivera said.

“Just earlier this month, EPA announced it’s going to split up the main arm devoted to scientific research — they were going to essentially gut the team that is responsible for assessing health risks from chemical exposure,” she said.

“It’s almost too on the nose that we’re talking about the agency, the Environmental Protection Protection Agency, that is intended to provide these guidance of measurements of everything from how much of a bacteria or a chemical you can be exposed to and not be harmed. And we’re going to start seeing that disappear,” added Malaty Rivera.

“It’s really serious,” Patel said, “and I guess just yet another example of why all of us in the healthcare field were so terrified of someone like RFK [Jr.] at the helm of our healthcare system right now.”