For the record
Most misleading science stories capture attention but are too fleeting for responses to be newsworthy. Sometimes, this sets up misleading claims that are then repeatedly referred to in future media discussions and other sources of public information. ‘For the record’ is where scientists are invited to set the record straight for the interested public.
Topics
Diet and determining your baby’s sex, April 2008
A recent study suggested that a mother’s energy intake around conception can exert an influence on the sex of the baby. How such an effect is exerted is unknown, but the chances are that diet influences which sperm fertilises the egg rather than affecting survival/implantation of the fertilised egg. Read on...
Chemicals in children, October 2007
Channel 4’s documentary How Toxic Are Your Kids?, aired on October 18th, 2007 claimed “children never used to come into contact with any man-made chemicals, but today children are exposed to tens of thousands, and no one knows for certain what these chemicals are doing to them. Many products we use are full of them, but many have not been tested for their toxicity”. Read on...
Harmful chemicals in make-up and household products, October 2007
In October 2007, the Daily Mail ran a story ("Is Your Make-Up Killing You?") based on a two-part Channel 4 documentary called How toxic are you? which claimed to show that chemicals from make-up are stored in the body and that chemicals in baby products are absorbed into babies. Read on...
Underarm deodorants and breast cancer, September 2007
The Daily Mail, Mirror and Telegraph published claims that women who use deodorants are putting themselves at risk of getting breast cancer. Their articles were based on research which found aluminium in cancerous breast tissue. The scientists involved in this study highlighted aluminium as a possible environmental factor in the development of breast cancer and suggest that underarm deodorants were a likely source of the aluminium. Read on...
Wi-Fi networks, The Independent, June 2007
There have been a number of recent newspaper articles and a BBC Panorama documentary about the alleged harm of radiation from Wi-Fi, or wireless communication networks, on health. The Daily Telegraph reported in April the potential dangers to children from placing computers on their laps, while an article in The Independent in June described how a naturopath diagnosed her patient as suffering from “overexposure to Wi-Fi and mobile phone frequencies”. Read on...
Heatwave advice to pregnant women, The Metro, The Times and Daily Mail, June 2007
In June 2007, The Metro, The Times and Daily Mail ran a story based on a press release from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) which reported a “heatwave warning for pregnant women”. The articles were headlined, “Sun can damage unborn babies” (The Times) and “Pregnant women should avoid the sun” (Metro, Daily Mail). These articles stated that the research publicized by the RCOG, which used records of women who gave birth in Aberdeen in the 1950’s, found that exposure to high temperatures in the first three months could lead to babies being born with a slightly lower birth weight. Some articles went on to link such babies with being prone to a low IQ and learning disabilities and as being more likely to exhibit behavioural problems at school. Read on...
Sodium benzoate in soft drinks, The Independent, May 2007
In May 2007 The Independent ran a story that sodium benzoate, a common preservative in soft drinks, damages the mitochondria in cells. Sodium benzoate (E211) is used in carbonated drinks to prevent mould growth. The article was headlined “Caution: Some soft drinks may seriously harm your health”. Read on...
Interpretation of clinical trial data, The Daily Telegraph, April 2007
The Daily Telegraph ran a story linking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use with an increased risk of heart attack. The article was headlined High doses of ibuprofen raises heart attack risk and stated that that for some individuals the risk of heart attack or stroke is nine times higher when taking ibuprofen. According to this report, these results will bring more anxiety to the millions of arthritis sufferers in Britain. Read on...
Bisphenol A in food packaging, Daily Express, January 2007
The Daily Express published a story about the use of bisphenol A in food packaging. The article was headlined “Fears over gender bender chemicals in food packaging” and stated that “experts voiced fresh fears” about a chemical intermediate called Bisphenol A (BPA). BPA is used as the basic building block to manufacture high performance plastics notably including polycarbonate and epoxy resins. Read on...
Growth hormones in livestock, Daily Mail, July 2006
The Daily Mail published claims that a Veterinary Products Committee (VCP) Working Group stifled arguments that hormone residues in beef are a threat to public health. Professor Richard Sharpe, who sat on the committee as an expert in reproductive development and fertility, addresses the claims. Read on...
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Unlike our other publications, where we write the documents in consultation with specialists (e.g., the Sense About... and Making Sense of series), these comments are written by individual scientists.
Last updated: April 29 2008