This is a funny prelude and distraction to the inevitable gutting of clean water regulations that he plans to do. Reminds me of the stunt pulled by the inventor of leaded gasoline and real-life Captain Planet villain Thomas Midgley (seriously, look him up) when he tried, unsuccessfully, to assure the public that TEL was safe by huffing it for a minute and pouring it over himself:

"On October 30, 1924, Midgley participated in a press conference to demonstrate the apparent safety of TEL, in which he poured TEL over his hands, placed a bottle of the chemical under his nose, and inhaled its vapor for sixty seconds, declaring that he could do this every day without succumbing to any problems." [Wikipedia link]