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Kourtney Kardashian is in a lot of trouble for sharing a COVID face mask conspiracy theory on her Instagram stories.
The post alleged that the disposable blue masks are made of a carcinogen called “PTFE,” which has been disputed by the chief medical and scientific officer of the American Cancer Society.
With that in mind, many are calling Kourtney out for spreading misinformation about masks, especially since the CDC encourages people to wear masks to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Keep reading for the details.
Kourtney shared this text on her Instagram stories: "Those Blue Masks Mandated at grocery stores & airplanes are made of PTFE, a carcinogen made of synthetic fluoride. According to Cancer.Org it increases the risk of liver, testicle, pancreas, kidney & breast tumors + ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, preeclampsia and high cholesterol. High exposure can cause influenza-like symptoms and hemorrhaging in the lungs, leading to suffocation."
The reality star added very limited commentary to the post, sharing it with a wide-eyed emoji and an exploding head emoji.
Although that sounds scary, William Cance, chief medical and scientific officer of the ACS, told the Post that what Kourtney shared was misinformation.
He explained, "There is no evidence to support the claim that the presence of PTFE in a mask causes cancer. As a surgical oncologist, I, along with thousands of colleagues in the health-care profession, have been wearing masks for years to protect patients from the spread of infections."
Doctors were upset by Kourtney's decision to spread this conspiracy as well.
Joshua Wolrich, MBBS, MRCS, surgical doctor for the United Kingdom National Health Service, replied, "It’s one thing for a random people on social media to claim that masks cause cancer... it’s another for @kourtneykardash to be doing so on her Instagram stories to >100 million followers."
Check a screenshot of her post here:
— Danielle Belardo, MD (@DBelardoMD) November 1, 2020
Some fans also expressed disappointment about Kourtney's decision to share this. One Twitter user wrote, "She must be trying to sell her designer masks by discrediting others. It’s always about money with that family. The love of money is stronger than the love of country or its people."
