Myth vs fact: 13 myths, checked

The viral study had a 10× math error. Corrected exposure is about 50× below the US safety limit. Still worth swapping, but not for that reason.

Some smooth floss used to be coated with PTFE. A big brand has since dropped it, so check the label.

Organic tampons had more arsenic in the 2024 study, and the FDA found the metals barely leach out.

Pod film is PVA, and scientists disagree on whether it breaks down. We call it ‘contested’, not ‘microplastic’.

Every flame releases particles. Burning fewer candles helps more than switching wax.

They release the same terpenes as plug-in air fresheners, and some oils are dangerous for cats.

Risk depends on the oil, its strength and how your pet meets it. Cats are the most sensitive, and many of the same oils can harm dogs.

Microwaving makes plastic containers shed more. The “billions” figure is per square centimetre of container, in lab tests with water and acid standing in for food.

The major makers say they stopped using PFOA by 2015. Most coatings are still PTFE, a PFAS, so the same care rules apply: low to medium heat, and replace scratched pans.

Poison Control says air fryers are not known to cause cancer. The viral warning was a Prop 65 label, and acrylamide also forms in foods like potatoes when they’re fried, roasted or baked.

That’s the top of a modelled estimate, not a measurement. Plastic boards do shed particles; what that means for health isn’t known yet. Solid wood avoids the plastic.

Particles from plastic tea bags can end up in the tea, but a recount found far fewer than the 2019 headline. Germany’s risk agency says a health risk is unlikely.

In a 2020 lab study, polypropylene bottles shed up to 16.2 million particles per litre with 70°C water, more when hotter. How much babies take in varies, and the health effect hasn’t been assessed.