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 repeated in subsequent media discussions and other sources of public information. 'For the record' is where scientists are invited to set the record straight.

Topics

A front page article with an accompanying report by the European Foundation detailed the "100 reasons why global warming is natural". The article quotes Jim McConalogue from the Foundation who suggests the list "demonstrates how tenuous, improper and indeed false the scientific and political claims are for man-made global warming [...] when in fact there is little evidence to support any of these claims". The article states that the list includes the controversial claim that there is "no scientific proof that rising levels of greenhouse gases are caused by human activity." Read on...

In an article entitled "A cancerous conspiracy to poison your faith in organic food", Joanna Blythman criticises the most recent study from the Food Standards Agency, which compared the nutritional content of organic and non-organic food. She claims that some studies were overlooked and that the pesticides in non-organic food "promote cancer". Here, two scientists respond to these claims. Read on...

The article outlined concerns over links between parabens in toiletries and cancer. It said that the research suggested that some parabens "might mutate and produce free radicals when exposed to UV rays, causing skin ageing and potentially skin cancer." It added that the alcohol in many cosmetics can "stimulate the penetration of parabens into the skin". Read on...

In an article entitled "I helped my son beat autism by making him give up Weetabix" Polly Tommey explained that she changed her child's diet and treated him with secretin, which she believes helped regulate his gut and improved his behaviour. She wrote: "there are amazing things being done to help autistic kids, particularly with biomedical intervention - detoxifying children through supplements and probiotics, diet, speech therapy and behaviour analysis."Read on...

In an interview in the Daily Telegraph , Annabel Croft described how "her life has been transformed by homeopathy". She had a cyst in her left ovary that caused pain and became convinced that the "homeopathic remedies she took enhanced and perhaps speeded up the healing process", as the cyst gradually became less painful.Read on...

On Monday 27th April 2009, there was widespread speculation about the possibility of a swine 'flu pandemic resulting from spread of the H1N1 virus from an outbreak in Mexico. Metro led with "Pandemic could kill up to 120m, warn experts" Read on...

On the 14th April 2009, The Daily Mail featured an article entitled "Cannabis downgrade sees health toll double". The article reports a rise in "patients receiving Health Service treatment for cannabis misuse" during the three years following reclassification in 2004, stating that "among children the number of cases leapt by a third". Read on...

On the 7th April 2009 Metro published a front page article entitled "Steroid junkies at the age of 11". The article stated that steroid use by 11 to 15-year-olds "almost doubled between 2001 and 2007, from 6,800 to 13,300". The article also referred to figures of hospital admittance for improper use of steroids, but these are not specific to 11 year olds and only provide data in either under or over 18 categories. Read on...

Metro reported on 12th January 2009 that "using mouthwash can increase the risk of oral cancer by up to nine times" and that alcohol-containing mouthwashes should be taken off the shelves following a review published in the Australian Dental Journal. Professor Ian Needleman, UCL Eastman Dental Institute, Director of the International Centre for Evidence-Based Oral Health (ICEBOH) explains below why the review does not provide sufficient evidence to make such strong claims. Read on...

On the 1^st September, following a Scotland on Sunday article entitled 'Women warned not to wear perfume during pregnancy', the Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail and newswires ran stories about the need for pregnant women to avoid cosmetics, perfumes and scented body creams as they may increase the risk of unborn boys developing infertility in later life. These stories were based on a conference paper that Professor Richard Sharpe, who is based at the MRC's Human Reproductive Sciences Unit, is presenting at the Simpson symposium in Edinburgh. Professor Sharpe's work is looking at male fertility problems and investigating how these may be caused. His work does not look specifically at the effects of wearing cosmetics, perfumes or scented body creams and he has not issued a warning for pregnant women to avoid these products. Read on...

On the 30th June 2008 the Daily Mail published a story titled " 'Hidden danger' of mercury leaking from dental fillings". It said: "mercury fillings given to millions of Britons every year can be dangerous" ¹. The story followed the publication of a statement on the US Food and Drug Administration website which said it was "reviewing evidence about safe use [of mercury fillings], particularly in sensitive subpopulations" and requested comments, supported by empirical data and scientific evidence, concerning the classification of dental amalgam. Read on...

On June 1st 2008, the Mail on Sunday published an article entitled Chlorine in tap water 'nearly doubles the risk of birth defects' which claimed that research suggested "drinking tap water while pregnant may double the risk of serious heart or brain defects in the unborn child" and that this "danger comes from chemical by-products in chlorinated water known as trihalomethanes, or THMs, which can be absorbed through the skin". The Daily Mail subsequently covered the story on June 3rd with an article entitled Drinking or even showering in tap water can double the risk of having deformed children, says study. Read on...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

If you would like any further information on a response or would like to draw attention to a similar error .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or on 020 7478 4380.

    Last updated: February 03 2010