ACSH staffers were appalled with the abundance of misleading assertions in Dr. Ranit Mishori’s article yesterday in The Washington Post advising readers on the various steps they can take to limit their risk of cancer. Topping her list is maintaining a healthy body weight, because obesity is linked to more than 100,000 cancer cases each year. That’s fair enough, but Dr. Mishori doesn’t even mention not smoking until more than halfway through her article, even though smoking is linked to 15 types of cancer, which claim the lives of more than 180,000 Americans annually.
“This is one of the worst examples of so-called journalism I’ve seen,” exclaims ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan. In addition to other nonsense claims, Dr. Mishori says that sugary drinks are associated with a higher risk of pancreatic cancer. “All of this is purely hypothetical, and her list is all mixed up. She barely focuses on smoking as one of the greatest contributors to cancer, yet cites cell phones as well as processed meat as cancer-causing agents,” says Dr. Whelan. “This does not reflect well on the science and epidemiology of cancer.”
“Dr. Mishori must also think that sun exposure poses no severe risk of cancer since she downplayed this as a serious threat as well,” notes ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross. “While demoting smoking, excess drinking and sun exposure as real cancer risks, she touts talcum, pesticides and sugary drinks as life-threatening instead.”
“Why wouldn’t she also mention multiple sex partners as a potential risk?” asks ACSH’s Dr. Josh Bloom. “She was completely negligent by not indicating that human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines are the most effective way of preventing cervical cancer. The HPV vaccines Gardasil and Cervarix are among the very few real ways to prevent cancer. To neglect this is mind-boggling.”
It seems as though USA Today is following suit in the realm of bad journalism by warning families against the top 10 toxins in its new publication Fresh: Women’s Health Guide on newsstands yesterday. Health reporter Liz Szabo calls phthalates dangerous because they can “interfere with the hormone system,” and says people should “choose products labeled as phthalate-free or PVC-free” when possible.
“Don’t these people who are billed as science reporters know that ‘interfering with hormone systems’ doesn’t mean anything in real life?” asks Dr. Ross. “I practiced medicine for 20 years, and I don’t even know what that means. Things like ‘endocrine disruptors’ are terms that are catchy and sound bad to the public, but have no medical significance. The phytoestrogens in our food pack a thousand-fold more estrogenic activity than BPA or phthalates.”
Dr. Whelan wonders why Ms. Szabo didn’t point out any natural toxins on her list, since ultimately, anything can be considered a toxin. “This is an awful story, and I don’t understand how it could appear in USA Today.”
In addition to recommending that people take their shoes off before entering the home in order to prevent bringing in any pesticides, Ms. Szabo also believes windows should be opened at least once a day to air out any volatile organic compounds.
“But wait, wouldn’t opening the windows just allow more pesticides to blow into the home?” quips Dr. Ross. “These ‘recommendations’ are just horrendous.”