As a blogger who is fond of sharing the results of scientific studies, I just had to laugh when I read Mark Morford’s latest rant, “Study says many studies suck,” wherein he rages against the machine of studies and the overly boiled-down newspaper reportage that follows.
Look, I know. Studies rule. Studies are our cultural cocaine. We cannot get enough. … Then again, maybe not. Maybe we have reached — or rather, far surpassed — Inane Study Saturation. Maybe the scientific method we rely on so desperately to illuminate every single microfacet of our lives has become far too much of a fanatical religion unto itself, a bloody altar of ostensibly infallible truth to which we have gladly sacrificed the nubile virgins of common sense and intuition and consciousness and spiritual intelligence.”
This is good perspective.
Take today’s top study story on one of my favorite topics — Chemical Additives Manufacturers Don’t Want You to Know About — in this case, phthalates, compounds added to plastics to increase their flexibility.
It’s about a study by a UW pediatrician who found elevated levels of these “worrisome” compounds in a study of 163 babies who were exposed to baby lotions, shampoos and powders.
“Phthalates (pronounced thowl-ates),” according to a Seattle Times localization of an Associated Press story, “are used to make plastics soft and also are used in products such as cosmetics. But recent research has suggested they can disrupt the endocrine system in animals, including people, by interfering with hormones, particularly male sex hormones such as testosterone.”
Of course, this is alarming. It’s why California and Washington legislatures are taking steps to ban the chemicals in some cases.
But I find it aggravating that most studies always come with caveats and aren’t really all that conclusive about the harm that can be done: Certain chemicals found in babies or rats or adults “may” be harmful or “could” or “might” be dangerous or, worse, “could be cause for concern.”
It’s enough to make even a sane person become afraid of everything made by modern man.
Studies, despite their importance, are usually long on problems and fear and short on solutions. They rarely condemn specific brands and it’s impossible to know which products to avoid because manufacturers don’t disclose all that much about their product ingredients — surely because of “proprietary” concerns.
I guess in this case, the message is this: Don’t overwash, overpowder or overshapoo your baby.
That’s good big-picture advice, I suppose.
Plus, as you surely know by now, it may cause harm.
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