Rosemary Stanton
Inaccurate
Claim that the World Health Organization finds “bacon as harmful as cigarettes” is inaccurate and misleading
Claim:
World Health Organization Officially Declares Bacon is as Harmful as Cigarettes
-1.3Low
Viral news article misinterprets classification of processed meat as carcinogenic in claiming it is “as harmful as cigarettes”
“The classification of processed meat as “Group 1” – carcinogenic to humans means that the evidence is as strong as for other risk factors included in the Group 1 category, including tobacco. It does not mean that the risk is the same. While Cancer Research UK estimates that 19% of all cancers are caused by tobacco, processed meat is estimated to cause 3% of all cancers. The presentation of the facts in this article is therefore inaccurate, confusing and misleading to the readers.”