• RFK Jr. shared photos of swimming with his grandkids in Rock Creek, violating health safety warnings.
• Rock Creek has a 50-year-old swimming ban due to high levels of bacteria and sewage contamination.
• The National Park Service continues to warn against water contact due to health risks.
• The incident has sparked criticism regarding Kennedy's judgment and public health role.
• Health authorities acknowledge the aging sewer systems contributing to the creek's contamination.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced sharp criticism after revealing he took a swim in Rock Creek, Washington, D.C., with his grandchildren on Mother's Day, a waterway known for its severe contamination. Kennedy shared photos of the outing, despite the long-standing warnings by the National Park Service (NPS) that explicitly discourage any contact with the creek due to high levels of bacteria and risks to human health, including E. coli contamination, according to HuffPost and Newsweek.

This swimming activity took place in a creek where the city's Department of Energy and Environment is aware of chronic flooding issues and warns against human and pet exposure due to contamination from aging sewer systems that contribute to hazardous bacteria levels. Over 50 years ago, Washington, D.C. implemented swimming bans in major waterways, including Rock Creek, due to ongoing contamination concerns stemming from combined sewer overflows, illustrated by The New York Times and ABC News.