The Poosh founder faces huge backlash online after she takes to her Instagram account to share a claim, which many deem misinformation about face masks, with her over 102 million followers.
- Nov 4, 2020
AceShowbiz - Kourtney Kardashian has found herself in hot water again. The "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" star was slammed by online users after spreading a conspiracy theory which claims that face masks can cause cancer for those who wear them.
The Poosh founder took to her Instagram account to share a claim, which many deemed misinformation, with her over 102 million followers. "Those Blue Masks Mandated at grocery stores & airplanes are made of PTFE, a carcinogen made from synthetic flouride. According to Cancer.org, it increases the risk of liver, testicle, pancreas, kidney & breast tumors + ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, preeclampsia and high cholesterol," read a post, which featured a picture of the surgical-style mask, which Kourtney re-shared.
"High exposure can cause influenza-like symptoms and hemorrhaging in the lungs, leading to suffocation," the post continued. The mom of three didn't write anything in the caption except adding a mind-blown emoji.
It didn't take long for people to catch wind of the post and later slam the reality TV star for spreading the false claim. "There is no evidence to support the claim that the presence of PTFE in a mask causes cancer," Dr. William Cance, chief medical and scientific officer of the ACS, told The Post. "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."
Another doctor wrote on Twitter, "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. UTTERLY F***ING UNACCEPTABLE." Similarly, another person added, "Social media is the way the majority of our generation gets info. @kourtneykardash told her 102 *million* Instagram followers today that masks cause cancer- just so unbelievably dangerous. Doctors/scientists, we have to keep combatting misinformation--no matter how tiring it gets."
Another critic added, "@kourtneykardash it is highly irresponsible of you to post this kind of content knowing the size of your platform, especially in this era where misinformation spreads like wildfire and there is already a problem with mask-adherence and a huge doubt in actual science."
Prior to this, Kourtney faced huge backlash after she appeared to be supporting Kanye West's controversial presidential campaign. Back in October, the 41-year-old reality TV star shared on her Instagram Stories a picture of her rocking a "Vote Kanye" hat from her brother-in-law's campaign merchandise. She looked effortlessly stylish as she teamed the cap with a white tank top and black training pants with white sneakers.
While her intention might be helping promote the merchandise instead of backing Kanye's presidential campaign, some people were shocked by Kourtney's move. "So Kourtney is endorsing Kanye for president? I have to say I'm disappointed," one Twitter user wrote. "Thought she was the sane one in the family."
