Junk Science Judo
A Short Course
Course Topics
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Course based on "Junk Science Judo" by Steve Milloy © 2001 Cato Institute. All rights reserved.
Junk Science Can Harm Your Health and
Reduce Your Health Care Choices
Example #1: Phenophthalein (formerly the ingredient of choice in over-the-counter laxatives) was forced from the market by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration because cancer-prone mice given unrealistically high doses of phenophthalein had higher rates of cancer.
Example #2: Women were scared away form using intrauterine birth control devices (IUD's) by a 1981 study reporting IUD's greatly increased pelvic infection. a 1991 reanalysis of the 1981 study concluded that the original researchers, "showed an almost complete disregard for epidemiologic principles in its design, conduct analysis and interpretation of results"(4).
