Inaccurate
Margarine and plastic are chemically unrelated substances, contrary to persistent online claim
Claim:
“Margarine is one molecule away from plastic”
Reviews of content from
Social media users
-
Source: Facebook, Instagram, Social media users, 2024-11-19 -
IncorrectPopulation aging, not margarine or a low-cholesterol diet, is behind the rise in Alzheimer’s
Claim:
75% of the brain is myelin, which is 100% cholesterol; “Alzheimer’s never existed until 1979”; in the 1970s, animal fats in margarine were replaced with low-cholesterol vegetable oils
Source: Facebook, TikTok, Social media users, 2024-10-04 -
InaccurateInfectious diseases like chickenpox and measles are much more likely to cause serious health problems than vaccination
Claim:
Chickenpox and measles aren’t diseases but infections; unlike diseases, infections go away, leaving behind “a lifetime of immunity”; when you vaccinate, you are potentially “causing a disease”
Source: Facebook, Social media users, 2024-10-25 -
InaccurateSunscreen doesn’t cause melanoma; most melanoma cases are due to excess UV radiation from the sun
Claim:
Melanoma wasn’t a problem until after sunscreen was invented; low vitamin D is associated with melanoma
Source: Facebook, Instagram, Social media users, 2024-08-12 -
IncorrectNo, HAARP can’t create floods, climate change can make heavy rainfall more extreme
Claim:
HAARP is responsible for recent floods in Spain, New Mexico, and elsewhere.
Source: X/Twitter, Social media users, 2024-10-30 -
IncorrectBaseless claims linking root canals with cancer and other serious illnesses rely on outdated and long-disproven theories
Claim:
Root canal treatment has “been shown to lead to diseases of the joints, brain, nervous system, and yes, even cancer"
Source: Facebook, X/Twitter, Social media users, 2024-11-01 -
MisleadingLow amounts of fluoride added to community water not associated with neurotoxicity, contrary to online claims
Claim:
Fluoride is a neurotoxin; community water fluoridation is associated with lower IQ in children
Source: Facebook, Social media users, 2024-10-19 -
UnsupportedThermograms and breast self-exams aren’t adequate substitutes for mammograms
Claim:
Breast self-examinations and thermograms are adequate mammogram substitutes
Source: Facebook, Social media users, 2024-10-01 -
InaccurateMislabeled and manipulated videos of natural disasters go viral amidst recent hurricane activity
Claim:
Recent footage is real and shows accurately-labeled natural disasters, such as tornadoes and storms that occurred from Hurricane Milton.
Source: Facebook, TikTok, Social media users, 2024-10-11 -
InaccurateOnline posts encouraging the use of Vicks VapoRub inside the vagina are unsubstantiated and dangerous
Claim:
Applying Vicks VapoRub to the vagina “stops bladder leaks”, removes parasites
Source: Facebook, Social media users, 2024-10-09
