A pair of high-profile studies alleges that the health impact of endocrine-disrupting chemicals has doubled in five years. Should you be worried? Independent clinics around the world are offering untested stem-cell therapies for everything from wrinkles to neurological disorders. These treatments don't treat anything—but they can cause strokes and cancer. Don't buy "natural" pet food, experts say. It does your dogs and cats no good, and it takes a devastating toll on the environment. Join geneticist Kevin Folta and GLP editor Cameron English on this episode of Science Facts and Fallacies as they break down these latest news stories: * Viewpoint: ‘Health impact of chemicals doubled in last 5 years’? Gullible media misreporting flawed studies mislead the public Beginning in the early 1990s, research investigating the health effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) began to proliferate. These studies posited that substances such as BPA—used in a wide variety of consumer products—were mimicking or blocking the function of the human body's hormones, contributing to reproductive health issues, neurological diseases and even cancer. Follow the latest news and policy debates on agricultural biotech and biomedicine? Subscribe to our newsletter. Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *Email *PhoneSIGN UP While it's prudent to monitor the potential risks linked to low-level chemical exposures, two decades of research (including studies conducted by the Food and Drug Administration) indicates that EDCs are unlikely to harm human health in the quantities we're exposed to. Yet the initial concern over EDCs unleashed a "research juggernaut," says epidemiologist Geoffrey Kabat, that continues to produce questionable science and attract widespread media attention. * Stem cell tourism: Shady treatments are being offered–even in the United States As decades of intense political opposition begins to wane, stem cell therapies for deadly diseases are starting to surface. HIV, sickle cell, Parkinson's and COVID-19 are among the conditions researchers may be able to successfully cure or treat with stem cells, but these groundbreaking therapies have to be developed over many years so their safety and efficacy can be evaluated in properly designed clinical trials.