This week there has been a an article going around with the sensational headline:
 

There Are ‘Fracking’ Chemicals In Your Toothpaste,
Detergents and Ice cream.”

Well, I wanted to know what horribly toxic fracking chemicals were in toothpaste, so I started reading the article. But it just didn’t make sense.

So I searched for a different article on the subject and found the original press release about the study, which said no such thing.

In fact, the study tested samples of fracking fluid collected in five states, and found that the chemicals contained in fracking fluid were “no more toxic than substances commonly found in homes.”

The pollutants were various forms of ethylene oxide.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) , ethylene glycol can have a variety of health effects.

In addition to eye pain and sore throat, exposure to EtO can cause difficult breathing and blurred vision. Exposure can also cause dizziness, nausea, headache, convulsions, blisters and can result in vomiting and coughing. Both human and animal studies show that EtO is a carcinogen that may cause leukemia and other cancers. EtO is also linked to spontaneous abortion, genetic damage, nerve damage, peripheral paralysis, muscle weakness, as well as impaired thinking and memory. In liquid form, EtO can cause severe skin irritation upon prolonged or confined contact.

It is used in the production of many consumer products, and may not appear on the label.

My point here is that information on toxics in consumer products should be presented in a factual way and not in a way that is misleading. Fracking chemicals were NOT found in toothpaste, detergents and ice cream. They were found in fracking fluid.

I take issue with both the article and the press release. One made it sound more toxic than it is, the other lessened the concern by comparing it to innocent household products.

I prefer facts.

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