Jordan Peterson on health: what the evidence says · JRE #1769
SUBJECT: HEALTH
Not a true/false call. Every claim is logged with its sources; read the exhibits below.
And second, if you're concerned about pollution, especially particulate pollution, especially indoors, which kills, I think, 7 million children a year.
What the evidence says 01 / RECORD
Peterson attributes 7 million child deaths per year to indoor particulate pollution. WHO data show that household (indoor) air pollution, mainly from burning solid fuels for cooking and heating, was linked to about 2.9 million deaths in 2021 across all ages, with just over 309,000 of those deaths occurring in children under 5, not 7 million. The figure of roughly 7 million (WHO cites 6.7 million) premature deaths per year refers to the combined effect of household and ambient (outdoor) air pollution on people of all ages, not to child deaths from indoor pollution alone. Peterson's statement conflates two separate WHO statistics, overstating child mortality from indoor air pollution by more than an order of magnitude while understating that the 6-7 million figure is an all-age, all-source total. Current WHO evidence classifies this specific claim as false or significantly exaggerated.
Evidence sources 03 / EXHIBITS
- Household air pollutionTier 1