Unsupported Health Posted on: 2024-03-21 Claim that artificial sweeteners like aspartame cause cancer lacks support, according to review from WHO agencies Claim: Artificial sweeteners “are proven to cause cancer”; “people in the 1930s ate cake, cookies and ice cream with SUGAR. And they were healthy” Source: Instagram, Social media user, 2024-03-16
Flawed reasoning Health Posted on: 2024-03-18 Steve Kirsch promotes flawed study making false claim about COVID-19 vaccines and cancer risk Claim: “Pathologist reports a stunning 52% increase in cancer risk for ages 15-59 who were vaxxed” Source: Substack, Twitter, Instagram, Ivana Pavic, Steve Kirsch, 2024-03-05
Unsupported Health Posted on: 2024-03-11 Are AirPods and other wireless communication devices harmful, as claimed on social media? A look at the evidence Claim: AirPods emit dangerous levels of radiation that harm the body Source: Instagram, Paul Saladino, 2024-02-25
Incorrect Health Posted on: 2024-03-07 DTaP vaccine isn’t associated with sudden infant death syndrome, whooping cough vaccine led to historic decline in cases Claim: Whooping cough vaccine was never necessary, DTaP vaccine is linked to sudden infant death syndrome Source: Instagram, Jaclyn Simone, 2024-03-03
Misleading Health Posted on: 2024-03-07 Vaccines, treatments reduced public health threat posed by COVID-19, explaining different approach in 2024 compared to 2020 Claim: COVID-19 has been like the flu since the beginning of the pandemic Source: Instagram, Instagram users, 2024-03-02
Inaccurate Health Posted on: 2024-03-07 Childhood vaccine ingredients are safe in the amount present in vaccines; cells, animal products, and viruses aren’t part of these ingredients Claim: Childhood vaccines contain “mixed up toxins” including formaldehyde, aluminum, aborted fetal DNA, fetal bovine serum, monkey kidney cells, mercury, pig circoviruses Source: Instagram, Social media user, 2024-03-03
Misleading Health Posted on: 2024-03-01 Tennessee House Bill HB1894 isn’t evidence that vaccines are present in food at grocery stores; edible vaccines remain hypothetical for now Claim: Researchers have “already perfected the ability to put human vaccines” into certain foods “right now”; grocery vegetables might contain human vaccines Source: Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, Social media users, 2024-02-21
Inaccurate Health Posted on: 2024-03-01 Various childhood vaccines have been tested in saline placebo-controlled randomized trials, contrary to claims by those opposed to vaccination Claim: “No childhood vaccine has ever been through a double blind placebo controlled trial.” Source: Instagram, Facebook, Social media users, 2024-02-24
Incorrect Health Posted on: 2024-02-28 The level of aluminum in childhood vaccines is safe, even for babies Claim: Per FDA guidelines, babies are too small to safely handle the amount of aluminum in childhood vaccines Source: Instagram, Social media users, 2024-02-18
Incorrect Health Posted on: 2024-02-23 France passed a law targeting health-threatening psychological manipulation and influence, but didn’t criminalize criticism of mRNA vaccines Claim: “France will send citizens to jail if they question mRNA vaccines”; “It’s now a crime in France to oppose the mRNA vax” Source: Instagram, Social media users, 2024-02-16