|
A typical example of the misrepresentation of science by anti-smoking groups is
shown below. This example is an important one, because it comes from Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights (ANR), one of the
key national groups promoting smoke-free laws. ANR provides guidance to hundreds of smaller organizations throughout the country,
including advising them on the scientific facts regarding secondhand smoke and what health claims to make to the public. Thus,
claims made by ANR are essentially claims that are being spread widely throughout the tobacco control movement.
|
This is an excerpt from an Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights
(ANR) "fact sheet" about secondhand smoke showing how ANR misrepresents the science in order to sensationalize the severity of the effects
of acute exposure on the heart. The result is deception of the public: they are being told that acute secondhand smoke exposure
causes heart damage equivalent to that seen in chronic active smokers and that an individual exposed to secondhand smoke suffers
impairment of blood supply to the heart.
|
||||||||||
|
Here, the truth is that a brief secondhand smoke causes
a physiologic change - dysfunction of the cells lining the coronary arteries - that is similar to the physiologic response
observed in active smokers. However, this change - which is also seen in response to eating a high-fat meal - is not clinically
meaningful unless a person is exposed repeatedly to secondhand smoke for many years. Only then can it possibly cause heart
damage that is similar to that observed in active smokers. In this way, ANR is misrepresenting the science in order to sensationalize the cardiovascular
effects of a brief secondhand smoke exposure. This is just one example of the types of misrepresentation of science that are occurring in the anti-smoking movement.
A more complete catalog of examples, organized by type of health claim and organization making the claim - can be found here, or by clicking on the button below:
|
||||||||||
