Rumor – A video reportedly shows dental floss production in unsanitary conditions at a factory in India using recycled PET bottles.
Analysis
Recently, social media has been flooded with a visual recording that has caused shock and concern among many users. The images suggest the existence of a manufacturing unit where dental floss, an essential item for oral health, is supposedly manufactured under precarious conditions. The report details a process involving the collection of PET bottles from landfills, washing them in muddy waters, and direct handling by workers without any protective equipment or basic hygiene.
The narrative accompanying the video is loaded with irony and a critical tone, claiming that the product is exported worldwide. The text alleges that the “touch of sweat” and contact with the floor are part of the material’s composition, suggesting that consumers are taking serious risks by using such products. Below, you can check the content of the message circulating:
At the height of the pandemic, I shared a video of a mask factory in India, very “hygienic,” where they were made on the dirty floor. Today, this other one, for dental floss, wins in the “cleanliness” category! Today we visit the most ecological and hygienic dental floss factory in all of India. It all starts with the careful selection of raw materials: vintage bottles rescued from a premium landfill.
The chief quality control engineer, sporting his breathable leather uniform, performs a tactile inspection to ensure each bottle has the exact amount of fermented dirt. Once approved, the bottles travel in high-fashion bags to the crushing zone. Here, this high-tech machine converts the plastic into confetti while receiving a bath of swamp-colored thermal waters to enhance the flavor.
Observe the hydrodynamic washing system: a rusty screw that massages the plastic with purified mud. If the water isn’t brown, it doesn’t clean well. We move to the fusion reactor. The worker feeds the ‘hell pot’ with his own hands, adding 그 salty touch of sweat that we love so much. The threads are cooled in water of doubtful origin and wound onto oxidized bobbins that provide iron for your teeth, all supervised by barefoot engineers.
Finally, packaging on the floor. The workers wind the silk with clean hands, ensuring each box carries a DNA gift. They are stored in boxes to be exported globally. Remember: if it doesn’t infect the gums, it’s not original. Enjoy that smile!
Fact Check
In light of these videos going viral, we decided to investigate the truth of the facts. To do this, we will answer the following questions: 1) Does the video really show a dental floss factory without hygienic conditions in India? 2) What is the origin of the images attributed to the production of the item? 3) Are there records of similar rumors circulating previously?
Does the video show a dental floss factory without hygienic conditions in India?
No. Although the recorded images are real and show actual unsanitary production processes, they do not depict the manufacturing of dental floss. The circulating video is an edit composed of fragments from different industrial and artisanal recycling and manufacturing processes. The attempt to connect these images to the “dental floss” product is a narrative construction without technical or factual foundation.
What is the origin of the video attributed to the dental floss factory without hygienic conditions in India?
The images are, in fact, a collage of distinct videos. Part of the material shows the recycling process of plastic bottles (PET) for the production of raw fibers, which is common in small material reuse industries. Other excerpts of the video show the artisanal production of candles and, most importantly, the manual packaging of matchboxes in production units in Pakistan, not necessarily India.
Are there similar fake news stories?
Yes, this type of content is recurrent. There is a “formula” for rumors that uses videos of precarious production in Asian countries to scare consumers worldwide. Famous cases have involved Christmas cookies supposedly made on the floor, the false manufacture of fake cashew nuts, and even the mythical fake eggs made with chemicals. All these contents follow the same logic: using real images from different contexts to generate panic about specific products.
Conclusion
The video circulating on social media does not show a dental floss factory in India. It is a montage that combines images of plastic recycling and matchstick production in Pakistan to create a false and alarmist narrative about an oral hygiene product.
Fake news ❌
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