Tricks: How Brands Manipulate Lab Tests to Deceive Consumers

The AHA! Team — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 03:09:52 +0000

Patrick Tims via NaturalHealth365 – Social scientists unanimously agree that we have rapidly transitioned from a high-trust society to one where trust is nearly nonexistent. Social change, economic uncertainty, and ongoing tech disruptions have eroded trust in both institutions and individuals. If you trust brands to be honest about food, beverages, and other consumer products, it’s time to reconsider your mindset. Brands are going to great lengths to manipulate lab tests and deceive consumers. Can you trust your favorite brands? Uncovering the deception in lab reports Brands creatively manipulate studies to persuade consumers to spend their hard-earned money on dangerous and faulty products. Comparing independent lab results with those disclosed by brands reveals the true extent of the disconnect. Lab test manipulation aims to confuse consumers so that as many products as possible can be sold. Spot checks on a wide array of consumer studies have found discrepancies in test results across several product lines. Brands’ lab tests are clearly biased, while independent testing reveals the truth. Every consumer should be aware that there is no truly independent third-party test lab when a brand’s money is involved. Any study sponsored or influenced by a brand is tainted by a conflict of interest. How brands exploit detection limits to mislead consumers One tactic brands use is labeling lab reports as “non-detect,” which means that the lab did not find the substance in question at levels above a certain threshold. However, this term can be misleading. In many cases, the detection limits (the smallest amount of a substance a lab can reliably identify) used by these brand-sponsored labs are higher than those used by independent labs. This difference in detection limits causes discrepancies in the reported results, especially in measurements like parts per million (ppm) for specific particles. Brands can manipulate the detection limits so that any substance present below a certain level is reported as “non-detect.” This allows them to claim that their products are free of harmful substances, even when they are not. These “non-detect” lab reports are then used to mislead consumers about the safety and quality of their products. For example, some brands refuse to test for substances like Teflon (a brand name for a type of chemical known as PTFE) or PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), which are harmful chemicals often found in consumer products. Independent labs, on the other hand, do test for these chemicals, including fluorine, which is a marker for the presence of Teflon. Fluorine that bonds to carbon creates Teflon, a substance often associated with non-stick surfaces. To further obscure the presence of these chemicals, some brands use qualifiers like “intentionally added” to suggest that harmful substances were not deliberately included in the product. This qualifier is a way for companies to avoid full transparency about how PTFE and other harmful chemicals end up in products used by consumers. Additionally, some brands employ different testing methods that conveniently result in “non-detects,” even when the products contain harmful chemical compounds. This exploitation of detection limits and selective reporting creates a false sense of security for consumers, making it crucial to compare brand-sponsored lab results with those from independent labs. Brand testing quantity and frequency are also questionable Brands and testing labs often refuse to disclose the number of tests conducted to detect specific chemicals or components. It’s possible to test a product thousands of times and obtain a single result showing non-detect for the desired chemical or component. The brand can then legally use that single test result in its advertising, presenting it as the truth when it is far from it. Consumers remain unaware of the actual number of tests conducted to achieve the intended result. For example, in makeup testing, brands can cherry-pick samples that do not test positive for heavy metals, fluorine, or other harmful components. These selectively chosen lab results are then presented to the public as evidence of the supposed absence or near-absence of dangerous chemicals. Similar practices occur with other consumer products, such as lotions and lubricants. The moral of the story: Don’t take the brand’s word for it In today’s low-trust environment, it’s more important than ever to be skeptical of brand claims, especially when it comes to product safety and quality. Instead of accepting these claims at face value, take the time to compare them with independent lab results and unbiased product reviews. By digging deeper and questioning the information brands provide, you can make more informed decisions and protect yourself from potentially harmful products. Remember, your health and safety are worth the extra effort. Trust, but verify – and prioritize transparency and independent verification over slick marketing claims when in doubt. Sources for this article include: Mamavation.com To read the original article click here.

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CANCER ALERT: 300+ Chemicals Found to Increase Risk of Breast Cancer

AHA Publisher — Thu, 05 Aug 2021 07:23:02 +0000

Sara Middleton via NaturalHealth365 – According to the American Cancer Society, the typical woman has a 1 in 8 chance of developing breast cancer at some point in her lifetime. Sadly, the rates of breast cancer have increased dramatically in recent decades. Today, breast cancer remains the most common type of cancer affecting women, other than skin cancer. Why are breast cancer rates skyrocketing – could the growing number of cancer-causing chemicals found in our environment be to blame? Data from one new study suggests yes. Hundreds of Chemicals Found in Common Everyday Products Shown to Promote the Synthesis of Hormones Linked to Breast Cancer, New Research Finds The study, published in the recent edition of Environmental Health Perspectives, used laboratory testing to identify chemicals that may cause breast cancer by elevating the synthesis of estradiol (estrogen) and progesterone, two hormones linked to an increased breast cancer risk. The researchers found that 296 chemicals demonstrated the ability to increase the activity of one or both of these hormones. Chemicals, including hexythiazox, oxyfluorfen, pirimiphos-methyl, and 3,3′-dimethylbenzidine, were found in various sources, including “pesticides, consumer product ingredients, food additives, and drinking water contaminants.” The researchers note that at least 53 of the chemicals tested are currently being used in consumer products, despite the fact that there is “inadequate information to assess carcinogenic potential.” Incredibly, as many as 13% of the nearly 300 chemicals were previously identified as “unlikely” carcinogens or reproductive/developmental toxicants, despite showing cancer-causing potential in the comprehensive laboratory study. How could such a misclassification occur? One explanation relates to a failure of conventional toxicology testing. Generally, toxicology testing of U.S. consumer products only looks at whether chemicals mimic estrogen or bind to hormone receptors. But what is rarely tested is whether chemicals can actually trigger estrogen production, which is exactly what these researchers discovered. “Because [estradiol and progesterone] are important risk factors for breast cancer, chemicals that increase their synthesis may also increase the risk for breast cancer and must be prioritized for further research and exposure reduction,” the authors conclude. Beyond Everyday Household Items, Common Pharmaceutical Products Have Been Associated With Breast Cancer, Too It’s not just food, pesticides, and household products that can expose you and your loved ones to chemicals that increase the risk of cancer. Unfortunately, many drugs and medical products have an elevated cancer risk, too. Remember hormone replacement therapy (HRT)? Once widely recommended by medical professionals, HRT has been strongly linked to breast cancer, as just one example. We see this especially among postmenopausal women, who are more likely to have breast cancer when they have higher blood levels of estradiol, according to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. According to BreastCancer.org, combination HRT increases a woman’s risk of breast cancer by as much as 75 percent. Another group of medications linked with breast cancer – oral contraceptives, according to the National Cancer Institute. Indeed, the International Agency for Research on Cancer and World Health Organization identified combination oral contraceptives (which contain estrogen and progestin) as a Group 1 carcinogen back 2005 – putting “the pill” in the same category as arsenic, asbestos, and tobacco smoke. Question: if you’re a female or the parent of a female, did your doctor ever explain to you the full range of risks associated with this medication? Were you ever informed that oral contraceptives might cause cancer? Sources for this article include: Childrenshealthdefense.org Grandviewresearch.com NIH.gov NIH.gov NIH.gov Komen.org Cancer.gov WHO.int To read the original article click here. For more articles from NaturalHealth365 click here.

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Tricks: How Brands Manipulate Lab Tests to Deceive Consumers

CANCER ALERT: 300+ Chemicals Found to Increase Risk of Breast Cancer