5 of the Most Widely Believed Consumer Conspiracy Theories, Debunked

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/5-todays-wackiest-consumer-conspiracy-theories-debunked?page=0%2C0

***SNIP


1. Microwave ovens kill the nutrients in food. There are many consumer conspiracy theories related to microwave ovens, and together they would make an article in themselves. One, however, is repeated frequently on cooking and on dubious nutrition websites: The claim that microwaves kill food and radically deplete nutritional content.


***SNIP

2. Fluoride is a mind-control drug. Only a few countries fluoridate their water supplies to prevent tooth decay: the U.S., Great Britain, Canada, and Australia. While it was done with the best intentions, and has been hailed as a public health triumph by the Centers of Disease Control and the American Dental Association, countless conspiracy theorists are again taking to the web to declare that fluoridated water is proof of government malevolence.

***SNIP

3. New light bulbs must be cleaned up by hazmat crews. Compact fluorescent lights get a bad rap, even though they use about 75 percent less energy and last about 10 times as long as traditional incandescent bulbs. But many consumers have a notable worry over mercury in the bulbs, though its presence is overhyped. Some websites even claim that should bring in a hazardous waste team to clean up broken bulbs.

***SNIP


4. Federal government has banned a 300-mpg car. Over the past several decades, there have been several conspiracy theories involving various sinister corporations and organizations who have kept miracle cars from the public. One of the most famous conspiracies was the " miracle carburetor” legend a few decades back. Legend has it that gasoline cars existed that got 80 mpg or more, but Big Oil bought the patents and locked them away for eternity.

[Trekologer]

1. The idea that Big Oil bought the patents to high MPG technology is just silly

First, the patents would have expired by now. Second, patents (and patent applications) are all public. Anyone can search the patent database as uspto.gov or go to the patent office in person. No one has been able to point to these mystery patents that they claim have been hidden away.

[madokie]

3. The window where gasoline will actually burn is very narrow

too high of a concentration or too low and it simply won't burn so the 300 mile per gallon carburetor is not possible in an engine as they are made today or yesterday or tomorrow for that matter.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

27. They'd have to buy up the tech before it got to the patent stage

if they truly wanted to keep it secret. As you say, anyone can search the patent office.

[djean111]

2. I see no need for using CFLs, and the EPA does have pretty scary clean-up recommendations.

I turn my remaining incandescents off when not using and am replacing with LEDs as the prices come down.

http://www2.epa.gov/cfl/cleaning-broken-cfl

Before Cleanup

Have people and pets leave the room.
Air out the room for 5-10 minutes by opening a window or door to the outdoor environment.
Shut off the central forced air heating/air-conditioning system, if you have one.
Collect materials needed to clean up broken bulb:
stiff paper or cardboard;
sticky tape;
damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes (for hard surfaces); and
a glass jar with a metal lid or a sealable plastic bag.


During Cleanup

DO NOT VACUUM. Vacuuming is not recommended unless broken glass remains after all other cleanup steps have been taken. Vacuuming could spread mercury-containing powder or mercury vapor.
Be thorough in collecting broken glass and visible powder. Scoop up glass fragments and powder using stiff paper or cardboard. Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder. Place the used tape in the glass jar or plastic bag. See the detailed cleanup instructions for more information, and for differences in cleaning up hard surfaces versus carpeting or rugs.
Place cleanup materials in a sealable container.


After Cleanup

Promptly place all bulb debris and cleanup materials, including vacuum cleaner bags, outdoors in a trash container or protected area until materials can be disposed of. Avoid leaving any bulb fragments or cleanup materials indoors.
Next, check with your local government about disposal requirements in your area, because some localities require fluorescent bulbs (broken or unbroken) be taken to a local recycling center. If there is no such requirement in your area, you can dispose of the materials with your household trash.
If practical, continue to air out the room where the bulb was broken and leave the heating/air conditioning system shut off for several hours.

I'll just pass on the CFLs.

[Logical]

6. No need? Really? So you think they do not save energy? nt

[djean111]

8. For myself - they save energy by making me aware of turning off my incandescents.

Yes, I believe they save energy. Of course they do. I just do not want them. Not like I am buying incandescents, I am buying LEDs. Talk about saving energy!!!!!!

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

28. LEDs save more, no?

Sure, I'd use a CFL over an incandescent, but I'm switching to LED's as much as possible. Besides, the CFL's I used never got anywhere near the claimed life expectancy on the packaging.

[Logical]

33. Me too, I have all of mine replaced. But they are really expensive. nt

[Logical]

7. Notice you left off this comment.......

What if I can't follow all the recommended steps? or I cleaned up a CFL but didn't do it properly?

Don't be alarmed; these steps are only precautions that reflect best practices for cleaning up a broken CFL. Keep in mind that CFLs contain a very small amount of mercury -- less than 1/100th of the amount in a mercury thermometer.

[djean111]

10. I prefer to just skip the mercury completely.

And even a tiny tiny bit is poisonous, I don't even see the point in comparing it to mercury in a thermometer, as if that made it safe or something.
Here is the rest of that statement about safety -

However, if you are concerned about your health after cleaning up a broken CFL, consult your local poison control center by calling 1-800-222-1222. You can call your center any time you have questions or in an emergency.

That looks like a CYA in case you do breathe in enough mercury vapor. Again, I'll just pass.

[Orrex]

20. Do you ever breathe while outdoors?

You're probably inhaling more toxins than you'd get if you ground up and snorted a whole box of CFLs.

[djean111]

22. That doesn't mean I should just double-down on ingesting toxins. Every little bit counts,

and some toxins accumulate, they do not get excreted one way or another.
Hell, I have even been told by a rabid rightwinger that it was silly to test for arsenic in water because arsenic is a natural substance.
Heh, turns out, I believe, she has a dry-cleaning business and, of course, hates regulations that prevent dumping the chemicals into a river or the drain.

Anyway, different substance, I know - but the good news is, I am pretty sure that the vast majority of people do not hang on my every word for light bulb tips, and most people will buy CFLs, and - IMO - most people will not dispose of them correctly. That's just another tiny thing that gets released into the earth.
And - I repeat, I am not buying more incandescents, I am buying LEDs when I can. They last miles longer than CFLs, so isn't that a good thing? Not like I am buying halogens or something!

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

29. We used to play with it in chemistry class.

Rolling it around with our fingers on the bench tops. I'm hoping they've tightened up their safety regs on high school science classes since then.

[djean111]

31. Thanks.....I think we did that too - early 60's.

And that is sort of my thinking - I remember that hiding under my desk would protect me from radiation, making all kinds of noxious stuff in chemistry lab was just fun, Teflon was Good For Me, because I wouldn't be using so much butter (never stopped using butter, and now, surprise, it is better for me than Teflon or most cooking oils) - I can remember riding my bicycle through the clouds of DDT, behind the mosquito tank truck, etc. My sister's ex-boyfriend was a produce wholesaler, he now is going to die from Parkinson's. Stuff like that calls for a bit of caution, methinks.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

32. Yup.

And that's exactly why I'm more cautious about GM foods too. I've noticed that as a whole, humanity is very slow to get around to finding out just how the things we use daily are hazardous to us. No matter how many studies you do, unless you actually get around to doing the study that examines just HOW whatever it is is hazardous, it doesn't matter. 50 studies, 100, 1000, 10000... until you do the study that looks at something that no one else did, and suddenly everything changes. The world is a complex place, and we've done all sorts of studies on very basic things like, as you note, butter, and we still wind up changing whether or not we think they're 'good for you' every so often.

[sir pball]

48. Or just do what we did in the lab with spills...dust it up with sulfur

Liberally sprinkle the area with sulfur powder (5 pounds on Amazon for $13.75) and wipe it up with damp paper towels. Toss them in the plain old trash. Maybe mop afterwards if you want. HgS is so insoluble it isn't considered hazardous waste, or at least wasn't the last time I heard.

[djean111]

49. The sulfer powder still has to be disposed of as hazardous waste, I think.

The more I google, the scarier clean-up instructions - from federal and state government and universities - look!

[sir pball]

50. No, it isn't considered toxic.

Mercury sulfide is so chemically inert it can be disposed of in the trash. It's like the barium sulfate "milkshake" you get before an intestinal scan - free barium is highly toxic but the chemical compound isn't. Also see lead sulfate, that goes right down the drain.

[MillennialDem]

4. Not sure if this falls under a consumer myth but should absolutely spend time debunking

"If corporation ABC loses money because X, they will just raise their fees on consumers to make up for it"

No - econ 101 says they charge what the market will bear. In reality since corporations are effectively monopolies (aka oligarches) they just charge off the demand curve. If the government (hey Obama/Holder) had any guts and enforced anti trust laws we could get prices down a bit - but to say that corporations just pass on costs to consumers is utter BS. They're already gouging us as much as they think they can get away with. Why would they charge any less? Out of the goodness of their hearts?

[DirkGently]

5. THAT is a good one to de-bunk.

Last edited Mon Jul 28, 2014, 10:43 AM - Edit history (1)

A lot of people, including a whole bunch of Internet Geniuses, spout that particular nonsense with the breezy certainty of the partially informed.

You can't close tax loopholes or raise wages -- "They'll just pass it on to consumers." Riiight. Because corporations keep prices lower than the highest they can possibly charge JUST IN CASE! the minimum raise goes up or a pollution regulation tightens or they have to bring some profits back from offshore.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

9. Most people do not understand the difference between personal and business income tax

When a company's accountants figure its income tax, they first subtract wages and salaries, leases, purchases of equipment and supplies, marketing and advertising expenses, business travel, and all other costs of business to arrive at profits, which are the only taxable income for a business.

In other words, if Business X takes in $100,000 in sales but spends $90,000 on costs of doing business, then its taxable income is $10,000.

If Person X takes in $100,000 in annual salary, he or she receives deductions only for things like mortgage interest, charitable contributions, and a few other items, certainly nothing like $90,000, and s/he pays the top tax rate.

So when an uninformed person hears talk of raising taxes on corporations they think, "Oh no, then they'll raise prices."

No. Because if they raise prices without offsetting them with corresponding business expenses, raising prices will INCREASE their taxes.

[arcane1]

51. There is the same confusion with personal vs business income in general

Which is why we constantly hear that raising a rich person's personal income tax will somehow effect job-creation.

[Mariana]

11. Funny how the people who squawk about CFL bulbs

never had/have a word to say about old-fashioned tube fluorescents. As if ONLY the compact fluorescents have any mercury. Ridiculous.

[WinkyDink]

13. Not the point AT ALL. People are defending INCANDESCENT bulbs.

[Mariana]

18. They're defending incandescent bulbs

by pretending that CFL's are dangerous because of the mercury. You never hear those same people complain about the mercury in tube fluorescents.

[djean111]

25. Straw man. I don't buy tube fluorescents and no one is hawking replacements for them, either.

Another case of hey! You already may have bulbs with mercury, so what's a little more.
But thanks for the heads up about the tubes.

[Mariana]

34. You didn't know that ALL fluorescent bulbs have mercury?

It's reasonable not to want any fluorescent bulbs at all in your environment because you want to avoid the mercury.

What I'm talking about is those who oppose CFL's in particular, saying it's because they contain mercury, while they have no problem at all with the other styles of fluorescent bulbs which also contain mercury. You never hear that type of anti-CFL person making any noise about the mercury in the tube fluorescents in their workplaces, or in their kids' classrooms, or even in their own homes.

[djean111]

37. That is TOTALLY because no one is taking "incandescent tubes" away right now, and making

fluorescent tubes the new go-to thing to buy.
This is really really good publicity for doing away with fluorescent tubes as soon as possible, though - I admit that the mercury in them has not been publicized much, if at all.

So, raising the awareness is fantastic, if only to hopefully get people to start paying more attention to clean-up and replacement options.

I do not see that adding CFLs to a household or business that already has fluorescent tubes is a plus - what you seem to saying is hey! you already have some, so why not add some more!

[Mariana]

43. If you don't want them, don't buy them.

A lot of people are pretending the CFL's are uniquely dangerous. They aren't.

[djean111]

46. No one is pretending they are "uniquely" dangerous. They are saying mercury is

dangerous, why add more to the mix, and mentioning that they are using LEDs. Really, it is like you are saying a lion is not uniquely dangerous, so are tigers, so why not have one as a pet.
Of course I won't buy them, but the thread is about whether CFLs need special precautions. Seems to some of us, they do.

[rustydog]

16. and...when they break in malls, hospitals, stores. SURPRISE! no hazmat response

Just maintenance or janitors sweeping up a mess on aisle 3...just sayin'

[Mariana]

35. ... and in classrooms and daycare centers

where young, developing children spend a huge amount of their time. Never hear a peep about the mercury hazard there from all those fluorescent bulbs. But CFL's are dangerous and I won't have them in the house!

[djean111]

38. A big thanks to you for this!!!! This is raising awareness. Surely you don't mean we

should shut up and just accept more bulbs with mercury, right?

[Mariana]

41. I do not expect anyone to shut and accept.

But if you're going to oppose CFL's because of the mercury content, you should be consistent and oppose ALL fluorescent bulbs that contain mercury. You'll have a lot more credibility if you do that.

[Warpy]

52. Right, I was shocked when they started to bring in hazmat cleaners

when a glass thermometer broke just before those were phased out. When we were kids, we used to break them on purpose to play with the mercury.

However, when fluorescent tubes broke during changeout, the hazmat response consisted of a broom and dustpan.

[WinkyDink]

12. #3: A. CFL's "last 10X more" ONLY if they aren't used normally, as in "off/on." B. Disingenuous:

"...quickly following the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s simple procedure for safe cleanup.

A.
"The life of a CFL is significantly shorter if it is turned on and off frequently. In the case of a 5-minute on/off cycle the lifespan of some CFLs may be reduced to that of incandescent light bulbs. The U.S. Energy Star program suggests that fluorescent lamps be left on when leaving a room for less than 15 minutes to mitigate this problem."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_fluorescent_lamp
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
B.
Before Cleanup
1.Have people and pets leave the room, and avoid the breakage area on the way out.
2.Open a window or door to the outdoors and leave the room for 5-10 minutes.

THE REST:
http://www2.epa.gov/cfl/cleaning-broken-cfl-0#important
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Additionally, Horowitz suggests: “When your CFL stops working put it in a Ziploc bag and take it to Home Depot or Lowe’s, who will recycle it for you for free.”
http://energyblog.nationalgeographic.com/2014/01/08/separating-myth-from-fact-on-cfls-and-leds-five-concerns-addressed/
EXCUSE ME?! Oh, yes; I, and every other American within or without the close range of these stores, WILL BE RIGHT THERE!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bonus points:
"A 2012 study comparing cellular health effects of CFL light and incandescent light found statistically significant cell damage in cultures exposed to CFL light."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_fluorescent_lamp#Starting_time

[joeglow3]

17. Their life cycle sucks ass

I put recessed lighting in a kitchen we remodeled 12 years ago and put in incandescent bulbs. Five years later, I redid our basement and put in the same kind of lightening, but spent over $100 for 13 CFL bulbs. Within 3 years of doing the basement, I have replaced 1 bulb in the kitchen (since re-doing the Kitchen) and had replaced 11 CFL bulbs downstairs.

In short, they are pieces of shit in my eyes.

[whatthehey]

21. strange - been using a mix of CFL and LED for about 8 yrs

Never replaced a single bulb since I stopped using incandescents, and used to have to do them quite frequently. And given that my house is your typical modern suburban place that's a few dozen bulbs. Includes bathroom lights that are on and off frequently through a downstairs lamp that's never turned off. Never replaced one.

[PowerToThePeople]

26. CFLs burn out as fast as incandescents

LEDs last a long time, I have never had one die yet. They are much more costly. I probably have 50 CFLs in my place, almost half are out currently.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

30. I think it depends on how clean your power is.

I also have the same problems with CFL's dying quickly. But I also have an older house, with older wiring. I suspect that if I had nice even power without spikes and surges, my CFL's would last much longer. The LED's don't seem to care, though, and are lasting just fine.

[djean111]

23. WinkyDink, I am sure someone will be here shortly to tell you that you already get cellular damage

just from going outside, so hey! what's a little bit more!
One would think some people own stock in companies that make CFLs!
And, yeah, I sure am going to drive miles and miles to get to a Home Depot. Because that does not harm the environment, right?

[econoclast]

14. I have a very clear recollection

Of my local ( rinky-dink ) tv news station reporting a story that went "engineers at Penn St Univ have developed an engine that can achieve 80 mpg .... Revolutionize auto industry yadda yadda yadda". I know they reported that. Late 1970's. It was so wacky that I assumed they had the story wrong. (They got sports scores wrong all the time and those are easy to check.) But there must have been some actual story that was easily misconstrue-able back then that forms the basis for that particular myth.

[PADemD]

15. CFL's must be recycled as hazardous waste in our county.

There are only two times a year that recycling hazardous waste is scheduled, and the drop site is over 20 miles away. I have not found CFL's to last much longer than incandescents. I will be buying LED's, too.

[REP]

19. I don't like the light from CFLs; I have all LEDs

Not worried about mercury - I like the light from LEDs better.

[HuckleB]

24. Recommended. ...

Funny thing: The ad for this thread is about a way to "get fluoride out of your water."

[NCTraveler]

36. Same. Perfect add.

They might even have a small audience here.

[djean111]

39. Are you equating mercury with flouride? Or lumping in everyone who does not want any

particular chemical in with anyone else who doesn't want another particular chemical?
Like jeering that people who do not accept the Warren report must also be people who believe Area 52 stuff and marginalizing them?

[NCTraveler]

40. Think you replied to the wrong post.

Have a great day.

[djean111]

42. If by saying "They might even have a small audience here" you were not equating those who

believe fluoride is deliberate poisoning or mind control with the "small audience here" who do not want more mercury in their home, I apologize profusely.

[NCTraveler]

44. I never mentioned or alluded to Mercury. Nor did the post I replied to.

We did reference an ad about fluoride. All good. I see where you were coming from now. Didn't when I first read it.

There was an ad at the top of the page for removing fluoride from water. It was just kind of funny considering it was one of the bullet points.

[NCTraveler]

45. Want to add.

I know some here use the phrase "have a great day" to mean fu. Those were not my intentions. I originally truly thought you replied to the wrong post. Was just trying to be nice and let you know. No ill will was meant.

[djean111]

47. I assumed you really meant have a nice day!

Too late, though, I was scooping up a big pile of leaves and dirt on the lanai, filled the bag, went to get another bag, and came back to find my large dog peeing in the middle of the remaining pile. And, of course, I don't feel I can reprimand for peeing outside........

[kentauros]

53. While the patents do exist (and are searchable at the patent office)

corporations are known for something called "patent squatting." That is, buying up the technology and then suppressing its use whether by never using and/or developing the technology, or by setting parameters too high for those that want to use the technology.

Case in point:

Patent encumbrance of large automotive NiMH batteries

In 2001, oil company Texaco purchased General Motors' share in GM Ovonics. Texaco was itself acquired by rival Chevron several months later. The same year, Ovonics filed a patent infringement suit against Toyota's battery supplier, Panasonic, that ultimately succeeded in restricting the use of its large format NiMH batteries to certain transportation uses.

---

ChevronTexaco also maintained veto power over any sale or licensing of NiMH technology. In addition, ChevronTexaco maintained the right to seize all of Cobasys' intellectual property rights in the event that ECD Ovonics did not fulfill its contractual obligations.

Oil companies are no friends of your average DUer, and rightly so. Chevron has been patent-squatting on this large NiMH battery technology for over a decade. Imagine how much further we'd be in electric vehicle technology if they hadn't done this.

Suppression of existing technology is still a big problem and not within the realm of conspiracy.