Conspirituality

208: Dirty Dozen Disinformation (w/Drs Andrea Love & Michelle Wong)

May 30, 2024

Dr. Andrea Love and Dr. Michelle Wong discuss the questionable methodologies of the Environmental Working Group and its fear-mongering tactics regarding 'Dirty Dozen' list. They critique the group's practices in demonizing chemicals, highlight concerns of greenwashing, and shed light on spreading misinformation about pesticide residues on produce. The conversation also delves into health risks of ineffective pesticides and chemicals in beauty products, flaws in sunscreen safety ratings, and validity of product verification marks.

01:05:31

Episode guests

Andrea Love

Michelle Wong

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

EWG promotes fear-mongering by exaggerating risks of consumer products.

EWG's Dirty Dozen list distortion misleads consumers about produce safety.

EWG's evaluation discrepancies highlight varying global chemical regulations.

Deep dives

EWG's Fear-Mongering Marketing Tactics

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) engages in fear-mongering by exaggerating risks of consumer products. They exploit chemophobia and the appeal to nature fallacy, spreading misinformation about chemicals and scaring consumers with flawed methodologies. Their approach is to pit products against each other without considering actual toxicity levels, promoting fear without scientific basis.

Introduction

6min

Critical Analysis of Environmental Working Group's Dirty Dozen List and Practices

14min

Unmasking the Environmental Working Group

7min

Unpacking Misinformation in Food Sustainability

18min

Health Risks of Less Effective Pesticides and Chemicals in Beauty Products

5min

Unpacking Sunscreen Safety Ratings and Regulatory Nuances

17min

Debunking Sunscreen Fear and the Validity of Product Verification Marks

4min

Every year, the Environmental Working Group, a Washington, DC-based lobbying group, publishes its “Dirty Dozen” report, which supposedly informs consumers about the 12 “dirtiest” fruits and vegetables. The report is repeated verbatim by major media outlets, which routinely demonize strawberries, blueberries, and other conventionally-grown produce. But does their science hold up?

Not according to the majority of scientists and researchers. Over the decades, the EWG has slammed some pesticides but not others, ignored data on dosages, and even wondered out loud if all that mercury in vaccines might just be causing autism. They also routinely ignore potentially hazardous organic chemicals, while selling “verified” labels for skin care products and sunscreens.

Today Derek is going to walk me, the non-science journalist, through the work of the EWG before he talks to biomedical scientist Dr Andrea Love and cosmetic chemist Dr Michelle Wong about the group’s questionable methodologies and fear-mongering tactics.

Show Notes

Environmental Working Group and the Dirty Dozen

The Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen” list is a danger to public health put out by an organic industry funded activist group

Influence Watch: Environmental Working Group

Dietary Exposure to Pesticide Residues from Commodities Alleged to Contain the Highest Contamination Levels

Ken Cook: The Story of The Environmental Working Group

What Biden’s oil record means for the industry’s future

Alleged ‘deal’ offer from Trump to big oil could save industry $110bn, study finds

10 years after Flint's lead water crisis began, a lack of urgency stalls 'proper justice'

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