Media Blames about 3D printer dangers once again.

3D printing dangers — **The staff at 3dprinterchat.com would like to offer condolences to the friends and family of this tragedy. I hope your family will heal.**

Sigh… Here we go again. People wonder why no one trusts the news anymore. I’m scrolling through my facebook feeds and found this lovely piece of journalism from nydailynews about 3D printing dangers. The article being titled “Couple found dead in Berkeley home killed by carbon monoxide leaking from 3-D printer”. This is total clickbate (me commenting on clickbate The irony does not escape me) but hear me out. This wasn’t done for fun it was done to bring in views at the expense of a deceased couple that by all accounts were good people. Add to that the fact that this article and several others are completely miss informed and it’s just terrible journalism. It doesn’t seem like a month goes by without another media scare about 3D printing dangers. Some are like this where they are just trying to get views but most are straight out lies in an attempt to push the anti 3d printing agenda.

Call them out.

I know it’s hard not to click on articles like this but we need to call people out when they are willing to walk over people to get a story. I know my writing can be clickbaity but it’s always in good fun. when articles like this pop up we need to stamp them down. If they are true we need to help spread the word. If something is actually causing deaths then it needs to be known but this is a case where both are kinda true so let me help you with the facts.

Just the facts

All sources will be linked at the end. I combed through every article on the topic and even tried to contact the family and friends. The family could not be reached for comment and neither could any of the writers of the articles. I can understand the family not being available they have too much on their minds right now. So here is what we know for a fact.

Monday afternoon first responders found Roger, Valerie and their 2 cats dead of unknown causes. An autopsy was performed and as of Wednesday cause of death is still unknown. That is as far as confirmable facts go at this time. None of the Articles posted from their home city even mentioned 3d printers or “Laser 3d Printers”. When questioned about smells coming from the house officer Byron White had this to say.

White also responded to media inquiries about a neighbor’s report of the sound of a generator and an odor of burning rubber coming from the couple’s fourplex in the 3000 block of Deakin Street.

White said the police department received a noise complaint on Sept. 22, 2015, and when a police officer later contacted the complainant about the issue, the generator was no longer running.

White said the city of Berkeley has not received any similar complaints about the couple’s apartment.

It would seem a safe bet that factors outside of “3d printers are probably to blame then.

Media Lies about 3D printing dangers

Let’s get down to it then. With no mention of any type of 3d printer or laser cutter from the first articles on the subject, it comes as no shock that later articles embellished and outright lied about 3D printing dangers. If I was to venture a few guesses. They may have owned a 3d printer or more likely a Laser cutter because they keep saying Laser 3d printer. If they had one in the house without ventilation or a co2 detector. Then under a long enough operation without venting their home, they could have poisoned themselves. But the family has yet to comment on whether or not they had one. Once again we have a case where the media took threads of a story and wove a rug of lies. My thoughts go out to the family but they should be angry at the media for using this as another chance to spread lies.