The Kardashians may have announced the end of their long-running reality show Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Still, they continue to be in the public eye, even if it involves coming under fire from their own social media followers. Kourtney Kardashian lived up to this reputation when she received backlash for promoting baseless claims about the purported health risks of surgical masks on her Instagram account, which is followed by a whopping 102 million users.
On Halloween, the 41-year-old Poosh founder took to her Instagram account to repost, which was not ascribed to a reliable source, that suggested the Blue Masks which have been mandated at airplanes and grocery stores are made using PTFE. According to her unattributed blurb, PTFE is a carcinogen made using synthetic fluoride.
The socialite's medical warning about PTFE (also known as Polytetrafluoroethylene), a man-made chemical used in nonstick cooking coatings such as Teflon, had a photo of a ubiquitous three-ply, surgical mask meant to be used only once attached. In her post, she cited Cancer.Org to claim that blue masks increase the risk of breast, kidney, pancreas, testicle tumors and cause thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis, high cholesterol, and preeclampsia.
She noted that wearing the mask for a longer duration can lead to hemorrhaging in the lungs, causing suffocation and influenza-like symptoms, according to The New York Post. Kardashian included two emojis with her post, including an exploding head and a wide-eyed emoji. Unimpressed fans, however, described her post as "scaremongering" on Twitter.
The Twitterati noted that loyal KUWTK fans would know Kourtney isn't the smartest of the family members, adding that the scaremongering she shared on her Instagram Stories was taking stupidity to a whole new level. As if that weren't enough, even the American Cancer Society, which she listed as the source for the claims, slammed her for the baseless advisory.
Chief medical and scientific officer of the ACS told the Post that there is no evidence that shows the PTFE present in a mask can lead to cancer. The surgical oncologist said that he and numerous others in the healthcare profession have been wearing masks for a long time to protect their patients from the spread of infections.
An article published by the ACS about chemicals used to make cookware did not even mention PTFE but touted another chemical, PFOA, or perfluorooctanoic acid as the potential to be a health concern. Earlier this month, Kourtney, who received backlash for supporting Kanye West's presidential run, and continues to face criticism from her social media followers, giving the impression that the E! reality star is trying her best to stay relevant on social media platforms. Share your thoughts about her latest controversial post in the comments section below.