Pseudo-science Partially Exposed

Posted by Valerie on March 25, 2009

See The Empire Strikes Back.

This is well worth reading. We have “experts” who think that if a chemical affects rat health when force-fed by the bucketload, then the same product will be dangerous to humans in even the most minute quantity.

This thinking is shameful and shouldn’t be seen outside Weekly World News.

The lifetime risk of death in a motor vehicle accident is 1 in 100 and yet we buy good car seats, hurl our babies through space at 65 mph and consider our kids relatively safe.

But phthalates? Eek! Known and proven risk! When mother rats are force-fed 100 mg/kg of liquid phthalate every day of their pregnancies, then their male babies have a greater tendency to moderate reproductive abnormalities. (100 mg/kg in a average human female over the course of a pregnancy would be 4.3 pounds of liquid phthalate, vastly more than any incidental ingestion of solid phthalate could possibly entail in an entire average lifetime.)

When you go to the doctor, you might get the following prescription: “Take one tablet four times a day for ten days.” If you think like a pseudo-scientist, you will assume that taking 1/1000 tablet once every ten days will work just as well at all.

Don’t think like a pseudo-scientist, okay? Too many carrots will kill you, but that’s no reason to fear a reasonable portion.

Another issue missed by the pseudo-scientists is that humans do not have rat physiologies. There you go; it’s true.

Consider “Hypospadias Rates in New York State are Not Increasing” from Journal of Urology, 2009 Mar 18–

The testicular dysgenesis syndrome describes urogenital abnormalities associated with exposure to environmental endocrine disruptors such as phthalates, specifically decreased semen quality, and increased rates of testis cancer and hypospadias…. Hypospadias rates have not changed in New York State from 1992 to 2005. Additionally advanced maternal age continues to be a risk factor for hypospadias. Combined with previous studies that demonstrate sperm counts are not declining, these data suggest that the testicular dysgenesis syndrome described in animal models may not be evident in humans.

We have no evidence that phthalates have harmed even one child, but who needs proof of harm before damaging thousands of good businesses? Who needs proof before consigning 1.7 million pieces of top quality baby clothing to landfills? Who needs proof before scaring thrift stores into throwing tons of good children’s clothing into dumpsters?

In a democracy without firm ties to a Constitution and no widespread understanding of the benefits of limited government, proof isn’t necessary. All you really need are votes.

In the interests of exposing my own bias, I don’t have white flour or white sugar in my home, we eat no processed food here, and my children are usually dressed in 100% natural fiber clothing. We love wood toys, we homeschool our kids, and nine of our eleven children were born at home. We reduce, reuse, and recycle and one of my goals is to increase the percentage of native plants on our property.

In other words, the all-natural approach is my preference. But reality is what it is; there’s just no evidence that tiny amounts of phthalate are harmful to anyone.