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Who is Dr. Joseph Mercola? 5 things about the COVID-19 misinformation 'super spreader' — from Chicago roots to bizarre battles with government regulators - Chicago Tribune
Jul 26, 2021 1 min, 45 secs

As the number of COVID-19 cases rises across the nation, the White House is battling the work of the “disinformation dozen,” a group of 12 influential anti-vaxxers deemed responsible for some two-thirds of anti-vaccine content circulating on social media, according to a recent study by the Center for Countering Digital Hate.

The Tribune contacted Mercola’s website for comment and an emailed response suggested reading Mercola’s social media posts and “let us know what misinformation you find.”.

“As you are aware, social media companies are closely scrutinizing and censoring any information that contradicts the (World Health Organization) or (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention),” the email said.

Mercola told the Tribune at the time that he stood by his right to make those claims, adding that he planned to fight the FDA.

Mercola at one point sold tanning beds — and actually claimed they reduced the chance of getting cancer — even though physicians have long cautioned against indoor tanning, citing the risk of skin cancer.

In 2016, the Tribune reported that he sold tanning beds priced from $1,200 to $4,000 from his Hoffman Estates-based business and “claimed cold winters in the Midwest meant Chicagoans, in particular, would benefit from his tanning beds, which he said could ‘reverse your wrinkles’ and ‘slash your risk of cancer.’ ”.

A Federal Trade Commission lawsuit debunked these claims and in a settlement, Mercola agreed to refund customers up to $5.3 million and promised to no longer sell tanning beds

“These types of false claims are especially troubling because of the serious health risks posed by indoor tanning,” the director of the FTC’s bureau of consumer protection had said in a news release

A 2017 news release said the agency mailed refunds totaling $2.59 million to more than 1,300 customers who bought Mercola indoor tanning systems

Mercola had told the Tribune he only settled the case as “a business decision,” and stood by his claims

In February, the agency sent Mercola a warning letter about vitamins and other products that his websites or social media accounts have directed customers to purchase, indicating that they’re “intended to mitigate, prevent, treat, diagnose, or cure COVID-19 in people.”

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