Robert F. Kennedy Junior has shared pictures of himself and his grandchildren swimming in a DC creek that is contaminated with feces.
Officials have issued warnings that Rock Creek, which is utilized to drain surplus sewage and stormwater during periods of heavy rainfall, is heavily contaminated with E.coli and other harmful bacteria.
But the Health Secretary, 71, still took a dip in it with his grandchildren this Mother’s Day, apparently unaware of the danger.
He shared photos of the swim online, showing himself in the water with his jeans on and, at one point, fully submerged.
His grandchildren paddled in the water nearby, and one was photographed splashing him with the water.
The National Park Service, responsible for overseeing the Creek, cautions online: ‘Rock Creek contains high levels of bacteria and other infectious agents that pose a health risk to humans engaging in swimming, wading, or any contact with the water.
‘Please protect yourself and your pooches by staying on trails and out of the creek.’
It adds in the advisory: ‘All District waterways are subject to a swim ban — this means wading, too!’
Robert F Kennedy Junior is pictured above in Rock Creek, Washington DC, that authorities warn is contaminated with feces
Above he is shown being splashed with the water by one of his grandchildren
Rock Creek, which runs through Dumbarton Oaks Park in the city, has had a swim ban because of the sewage for more than 50 years.
A water sample taken from Rock Creek last September, the latest available data, showed an E.coli concentration of 285 per 100 milliliters.
The World Health Organization suggests that any count over 10 per sample is ‘low risk’, while any over 100 is ‘medium risk’. It says it is best for water to contain no E.coli.
The Health Secretary shared images of himself taking the dip on Sunday with the caption: ‘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.’
His post on X has since had a warning placed onto it, which reads: ‘Swimming in Rock Creek is dangerous and prohibited by the National Park Service, as the creek contains dangerously high bacteria levels.’
Some followers were quick to point out that the water around DC is dangerous and can be contaminated with bacteria.
But others heralded him for taking a dip, and applauded his ‘healthy and happy family’.
DailyMail.com has contacted the White House for comment.
People can catch E.coli from contaminated water by swallowing it while swimming or drinking the water.
Symptoms appear within two to eight days of infection, and begin as severe stomach cramps, watery diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and a mild fever.
RFK Junior is shown above fully submerging himself in the water
In rare cases, the infection can cause dehydration and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which is when small red blood cells become damaged, inflamed and form clots in the bloodstream. This can cause the kidneys to shut down.
The infection is treated using antibiotics and an IV drip to replace lost fluids.
About 73,000 Americans are infected with E.coli every year, although this is commonly linked to consuming food contaminated with the bacteria.
An estimated 2,168 people are hospitalized, while 61 people die from the infection.
It’s just the latest in a series of peculiar incidents related to RFK’s outdoors personality.
Previously, his family members have said RFK decapitated a whale carcass in 1994 after its body washed up on a beach near Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.
His daughter Kick told Town and Country magazine in 2012: ‘[He] ran down to the beach with a chainsaw, cut off the whale’s head and then bungee-corded it to the roof of the family minivan for the five-hour haul back to Mount Kisco, New York.’
She added: ‘Every time we accelerated on the highway, whale juice would pour into the windows of the car, and it was the rankest thing on the planet.’
RFK has also recounted how he once dumped a dead bear cub in New York’s Central Park in 2014.
And on the campaign trail, the then-Presidential hopeful told crowds how he had a dead worm lodged in his brain.
