Drinking Alchohal on Planes is Bad for You

Question

Overall, this article is accurate; it provides a claim that is reasonable and not too outlandish coming from the study provided. However, the title is a little clickbait, stating outwardly that it is bad for your body when the study shows that it decreases oxygen levels, It is not life-threatening or something that could cause potential long-term problems, but for frequent fliers, it may not be the best decision. The screenshots taken from the study support the article's claims and use of data that those who consume alcohol will be subject to a decrease in oxygen, as well as the study coming from the BMJ, a reliable source. Other reputable news sources have similar articles covering this topic, agreeing that, as it is something that many adults partake in, a second consideration of whether or not to drink would be advised.

Comments

This fact check is well thought out and has a balanced view about the article. I like that you highlighted that the title is clickbait since clickbait often spreads misinformation which can instill fear and mislead readers into thinking that these findings are more extreme than they are. You did a good job pointing out the strengths such as the reasonable claim that you pulled from an outside source such as BMJ. It might also be helpful to include if the article has any factors or solutions that could give readers actionable advice.

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I love this response... Great use of breaking down his statement and pointing out some insightful details!

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Drinking alcohol on planes can have some negative effects. The combination of altitude and pressurized cabins can intensify the effects of alcohol, leading to dehydration, impaired judgment, and increased risk of altitude sickness

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I agree with your points. While the study's findings about alcohol decreasing oxygen levels are valid, the title could be misleading. It’s not life-threatening, but for people that fly often, it's worth knowing about  the potential effects. The study provides solid data to support the claim.

Answer 1

This statement might be a little bit of an over exaggeration and a bit misleading. The source you used was very scholarly and has very good credibility. While drinking on the plane can lead to health defects, having one drink will not really take a toll on your body. Maybe stating that "Overconsumption of alcohol on the airplane can lead to heath defects" would be better and give more information as to why it might be unhealthy. I found a couple of other credible sources that could be used to back up this claim further. Also make sure the spelling is right when posting the claim:)

https://time.com/6985273/alcohol-planes-health-heart-study/

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/heart-health/drinking-alcohol-flight-safety-heart-rcna155156

Comments

Great job fact checking! I like the alternative statement you provided to try and be more accurate. You could add a few things to further you fact checking- Why/what made the source they used credible? Maybe you could also add in what specific health defects drinking on planes has, and compare those to health defects drinking in general has. This way, there could be a better picture of weather the plane is actually a factor in the defects.

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Thank you for opening with a statement that breaks down the claim and breaks down the source, as it helps understanding the article right from the start. I would appreciate if there was some breakdown to the sources you listed to back up the sources you listed, like a sentence or two of those sources talking about the claim, but other than that it looks great!

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I love your response, as it highlights many aspects to why this claim is wrong. The information you bring up is insightful and provides a different look at this claim.

Answer 2

First I looked at the credibility of the website that the claim originally came from, Popular Science. Looking at media bias checkers it seems to have a high credibility rating and in the past has won many awards for journalistic excellence. 

Next I looked at the actual study that this article is based off of. It was done by a group of German researchers, and when you look them up some of them have extensive research backgrounds such as Eva-Maria Elmenhorst. Looking at the actual study, it seems that all the proper procedures were followed and it is a well done study. The Popular Science article makes sure to include the data from the study in their article, further boosting their credibility. 

This was also not the only place that this study was being reported. The New York Times, NBC News, and Time Magazine all have articles having to do with this claim. 

I believe this claim is true, the original source of the claim seems to be credible and done by credible individuals. Multiple high profile sources reported on it further backing up the claim. 

https://thorax.bmj.com/content/79/10/970

https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/popular-science/

https://crediblemind.com/organizations/popular-science

https://scholar.google.de/citations?user=YrdDJE8AAAAJ&hl=de

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/25/well/eat/drinking-alcohol-airplanes.html

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/heart-health/drinking-alcohol-flight-safety-heart-rcna155156

https://time.com/6985273/alcohol-planes-health-heart-study/

Comments

This is an amazing response, I love how you checked the credibility of the original source, but also linked to other websites who are reporting on the same study. I agree with your claim that the original claim is accurate.

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This is such a good answer. You are thorough with your explanation and the amount of sources you provided was especially convincing. Good job!

Answer 3

After reviewing the article does seem legit, although it's coming from not a strong source such as a (gov, edu) website. The article is linked to credible sources such as referring to "German Aerospace Center’s Institute of Aerospace Medicine, which has reliable statistics of the causes of alcohol consumption effects on air-travel. This helps me believe the facts stated in the article, I also reviewed the background of the article, and noticed that there is a similar article that claims "drinking on planes may be bad for your heart, research suggests according to NBC News. It claims on that article "An oxygen saturation of 95% to 100% is normal for healthy adults and children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Experts say that a drop to below 90% in oxygen saturation is worrisome" which is similar to the Popsci article. After cross-checking this fact I can conclude that this article is accurate, but the title can be misleading. 

https://thorax.bmj.com/content/79/10/970

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/22447-blood-oxygen-level

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/heart-health/drinking-alcohol-flight-safety-heart-rcna155156

Comments

Great response, I like how you pointed out how the main article didn't seem credible, while at the same time, they are using trusted sources. Although this is a little misleading and or exaggerated, this is a great response to center around and point out the actual facts and medical research to back it up.

Answer 4

Looking at the article provided, it seems fairly backed up and well researched. Although quite misleading due to it's clickbait title, yet still holds a lot of interesting findings which are backed by many tests such as the one they used from German Aerospace Center’s Institute of Aerospace Medicine (https://thorax.bmj.com/content/79/10/970). There is also another article I found which seems to point out the same thing, yet also falls victim to a bit of clickbait as well (https://time.com/6985273/alcohol-planes-health-heart-study/)  however everything seems to check out in terms of accuracy. Both sources I have found to have really good credibilities as well as their sources. So All in All, the claim, although a bit clickbait, is ultimately true in some aspects.