Correcting reporting of scientific studies

On Friday, 23 January 2015, I read an article in the Daily Mail about the dangers of indoor air pollution and "toxic home syndrome." The article claimed: "A Europe-wide study by the National Institute for Health and Welfare in Finland estimates that indoor exposure to chemicals and gases contributes to around 128,666 deaths in the UK every year."

This number seemed quite alarming, particularly when only 79,100 people died because of smoking according to UK Government statistics.

I decided to ask for evidence. I sent an email to the journalist asking for a link to the study. I also emailed the Finnish agency for more information about their research.

Following my email, the journalist removed the claim about deaths in the UK from the online version of the article over the weekend. I also heard back from Otto Hänninen, the lead author on the report. He told me that his research hadn’t "found a surprising link" but merely confirmed existing links.

The article also claimed that "a change in the way homes in the UK are ventilated could reduce the overall burden of disease, by around 38 per cent." Hänninen pointed out that this number was a European average. After forwarding Hänninen’s comments to the journalist, those corrections were also made on the online article.

This is a fantastic result. It’s great to see a journalist willing to update a story to better reflect research. I was sure to write a kind thank-you note to the Daily Mail applauding the correction.

Featured image: AMC