A self-described “catastrophic injury and death lawyer” has gone viral after naming three household items he would never have in his home.
The first item to avoid, he said, was Roundup. “If you don’t know what it is, it’s made by Monsanto,” he claimed. “It’s an herbicide weed killer, but it’s historically been linked to non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a type of blood cancer.”
The second item on his list was any nonstick cooking pan. “I know that sounds crazy, but it’s basically been proven that there is Teflon or C8 [in these pans],” which, he said, are ”both types of chemicals that are made up of the coating that makes up the nonstick pans.”
The third item on his list was button batteries. He claims that “if they’re swallowed by a young child, they can burn through the esophagus in a matter of seconds or minutes and cause catastrophic injury or death.”
@tommythelawyer I won’t go near these #fyp #foryou #safety #recalls #cancer #tips ♬ original sound – tommythelawyer
How true are these claims?
When it comes to Roundup, it’s worth noting that glyphosate, a key ingredient in Roundup, isn’t banned in the U.S. However, the World Health Organization concluded in 2015 that the substance was “probably carcinogenic.” The Lawsuit Information Center also claims that there have been thousands of settlement agreements and ongoing lawsuits related to RoundUp.
As for Teflon and C8, Healthline notes that while it’s true that these products coat nonstick pans, they only become toxic when temperatures exceed 500°F.
And in terms of button batteries, Kate Cross, consultant neonatal and pediatric surgeon at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital, shared how they can pose a risk with the BBC.
“If the battery gets enveloped in the mucosa of the oesophagus it creates an electrical circuit and the battery starts to function, releasing an alkali which is like caustic soda, which can erode through the wall to the windpipe,” she said.
“If the battery is facing a different way it can burn into the aorta, a major blood vessel, and there have been cases in Britain where the child has bled to death.”
What else has Tommy the Lawyer said?
This isn’t the first time Tommy has gone viral. He previously warned followers about the dangers of Roundup products back in May. In the clip, which has amassed 3.5 million views, he reiterates how it’s been associated with non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
“Monsanto says that they have changed the ingredients or changed the mixture of the Roundup in some way that affects the glyphosate. I don’t know if they said they removed it completely or partially, but they say there’s a new mix or new ingredients,” he said.
He continued, “Yet they continue to go into courtrooms throughout the United States and argue that there’s nothing wrong with glyphosate and that [Roundup] doesn’t cause cancer.”
Tommy didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via contact form.
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