In the midst of a global pandemic, spreading false conspiracy theories about face masks to your 102 million Instagram followers is probably not the best use of your platform. Kardashian came under fire for sharing a post on her Instagram Story claiming that blue surgical masks cause cancer, but the conspiracy theory was quickly debunked by medical experts.

Kardashian wrote, "The blue masks required in grocery stores and on airplanes are made of PTFE, a carcinogen made from synthetic fluoride...According to Cancer.Org, PTFE can cause liver, testicular, pancreatic, kidney, and breast tumors, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, preeclampsia, high cholesterol, and increased risk of cholesterol. High exposure can cause flu-like symptoms, pulmonary hemorrhage, and can lead to suffocation." She posted the image on her Instagram story with a shocked emoji and an exploding head emoji, the New York Post reports (opens in new tab).

Cancer.org, which is cited as the source for this claim, is the website of the American Cancer Society (ACS). Dr. William Kance, chief medical and scientific officer of the ACS, told the New York Post that "the mask There is no evidence to support the claim that the presence of PTFE causes cancer," he said. As a surgical oncologist, I, along with thousands of my colleagues in the medical profession, have worn masks for years to protect our patients from the spread of infectious diseases."

Dr. Kuntz also stated, "I have seen the use of PTFE in masks for years.

Several social media users accused Kardashian of spreading false conspiracy theories about surgical masks. One tweeted (opens in new tab), "Very irresponsible to post such content, especially in these times when misinformation spreads like wildfire and there are already problems with wearing masks and major questions about the actual science." Another wrote (opens in new tab)." It's one thing for random people on social media to claim that masks cause cancer... It's another thing for @kourtneykardash to do so to her 100+ million followers on her Instagram story."