Television's Dr. Mehmet Oz is accused of frightening thousands of viewers of what FDA claims to be a false alarm on the consumption of apple juice. Yesterday Oz claimed that testing in a New Jersey lab associated with his television show found what seemed to be dangerously high levels of arsenic in many brands of apple juice. The FDA said that its own tests reflect no such thing, even after testing the same juice brands Oz cited. Should Oz really have been so quick to conclude that there were supposedly high arsenic levels in such a popular drink and televise his results without further analysis of the data? Is Oz raising unnecessary worry over a drink that the FDA has been testing for years with no negative results?
According to the FDA, arsenic is naturally present in water, air, food and soil in two forms-organic and inorganic. Organic arsenic they said is not dangerous to people, and in fact, inorganic arsenic is also not problematic unless consumed at consistently high level for an extended period of time. In other words, has Oz not done enough research on safe levels of arsenic and caused undue public worry or is he really safeguarding us against contaminants that may be harming us?
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3 comments:
I think the real problem here is that arsenic is a metalloid with a high sublimation point of 887K. Henry ford, the American car magnate, once stated that, "Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes shine to the stars. Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eyes, the swing in your gait. The grip of your hand, the irresistible surge of will and energy to execute your ideas." Arsenic is not enthusiasm.
In answer to your questions Kimi, I feel that Dr. Oz is working here as much for his own self interest as for the public. As a television personality and host of his own show, I believe it is safe to say that Dr. Oz stands to gain much (in terms of increased viewership/ratings) through such wide-reaching scare tactics, which are bound to draw the attention of the masses much more so than regular, mild/bland programming. I would place much more trust in the reports of an unbiased government agency such as the FDA, than in those of a profit oriented television show. Furthermore, it was found (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44520025/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/fda-dr-oz-apple-juice-safe-after-all/#.Tna6QdQ9nb0) that Dr. Oz’s lab tested only for the total amount of arsenic, which is as you know an inaccurate measurement, seeing as arsenic comes in both the harmless organic form as well as the potentially dangerous inorganic form. They then proceeded to spin this information and the viewers by proclaiming higher, “dangerous” levels of arsenic than were really present, hoping to gain greater viewership through fear mongering. The FDA monitors the levels of inorganic arsenic, and has proven consistently that these levels are well within safe limits.
I agree with you both that Dr. Oz needed to be a little more specific about his findings (Jacob) and that mass media tends to exaggerate issues to get a wider audience (Alex).
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