Is "medical error" the third leading cause of death in the United States? No, that's not proven: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not include "medical error" in the top 10 leading causes of death in the United States. For one thing, given the lack of a precise medical or legal definition for "medical error," it's difficult to…

Does this meme accurately represent the relationships of several CEOs to the products of their respective companies? This tweet from 2019 contains a mixture of true, false, unverified and misleading statements. This screenshot meme originated with a tweet posted on November 22, 2019. It resurfaced in a post on Facebook on June 27, 2021, captioned only, "Question everything." The text…

Does Dasani bottled water contain additives that are bad for you, that make it "the worst water bottle ever," such as salt, magnesium sulfate to make your mouth dry and potassium chloride, the same chemical used in a lethal injection to stop the heart? No, that's not true: At the concentration and volume present in the bottled water, the minerals…

Does an anti-vaccine advocate prove his claims of vaccine dangers with "undercover" video of private World Health Organization meetings and does he provide credible citations of scientific research to prove his claims? No, that's not true: The video caption promises "an undercover footage - the media don't want you to see" but delivers less than a quarter-minute -- without audio.…

Did the CDC "admit" that COVID-19 vaccines have killed more Americans than all vaccines since 2001, combined? No, that's not true: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which monitors vaccine reactions and safety, says the opposite: There have been no documented deaths due to the Pfizer, Moderna and J&J/Janssen vaccines. The article making the claim cites only the false…

Is President Biden cutting 90% of red meat from your diet, limiting you to four pounds a year and one burger per month? No, that's not true. A U.S. Department of Agriculture spokesperson told Lead Stories there's no such proposal. The Biden administration does not have a new climate requirement that would limit the amount of red meat Americans can…

Did scientists find out that pistachios are the most melatonin-rich food ever recorded? No, that's not true: the study in question has only been done once and has questionable methods. Experts would say this is still an open issue and should not be considered settled science. The claim appeared in a February 17 2020, Facebook post (archived here) where it…

Is tilapia boneless, bad for you and can't be overcooked? No, that's not true: This meme has several false and misleading statements, though some of its original language has been toned down. The original version surfaced on Facebook in March 2017. This post, published April 5, 2020 (archived here), is captioned: Why I never buy Tilapia. This is what the…

Does casein -- the main protein in milk -- cause cancer? No, that's not true: casein is not listed as a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer or the U.S. National Toxicology Program. The claim originated from a video (archived here) published by the Dr. McDougall Health and Medical Center YouTube channel on February 29, 2016, under…

Does eating eggs feed pathogens and "feed" heavy metals in your liver, fostering disease? No, that's not true: The claim was published without citation of evidence. Nutritionists and other medical experts say this naturopathic claim ignores the established scientific consensus of how the human body functions and ignores the fact that millions of people eat eggs with none of the…