A 60-year-old man asked ChatGPT for advice on how to replace table salt, and the substitution landed him in the emergency room suffering from hallucinations and other symptoms.

In a case report published this month in the Annals of Internal Medicine, three doctors from the University of Washington in Seattle used the man’s case to explain how AI tools, as they are designed right now, are not always the most reliable when it comes to medicine.

“It is important to consider that ChatGPT and other AI systems can generate scientific inaccuracies, lack the ability to critically discuss results, and ultimately fuel the spread of misinformation,” the authors, Audrey Eichenberger, Stephen Thielke and Adam Van Buskirk, wrote.

The patient initially sought medical help at an unspecified hospital emergency room because he feared his neighbour was poisoning him. In the first 24 hours after he was admitted, he suffered from more paranoia and visual and auditory hallucinations, resulting in an involuntary psychiatric admission.

Once his symptoms were under control, the patient, who had previously studied nutrition in college, revealed that he had been reading about the harms sodium chloride (table salt) can have on someone’s health. Instead of removing sodium (in the form of table salt and other food additives), as is often recommended, he decided he wanted to conduct a personal experiment to completely remove chloride from his diet. He then asked ChatGPT for suggestions on what could be a substitute for the chloride in table salt.

ChatGPT suggested that he should use sodium bromide instead, he said.

Sodium bromide, which looks a lot like table salt, is a substance that is used for water treatment, as an anticonvulsant for animals and for film photography.

“For three months, he had replaced sodium chloride with sodium bromide obtained from the internet after consultation with ChatGPT, in which he had read that chloride can be swapped with bromide, though likely for other purposes, such as cleaning,” the case study authors wrote.

Bromide should not be ingested. It’s unclear if the AI tool gave any kind of warning to the man.

“Unfortunately, we do not have access to his ChatGPT conversation log and we will never be able to know with certainty what exactly the output he received was, since individual responses are unique and build from previous inputs,” the authors wrote.

“However, when we asked ChatGPT 3.5 what chloride can be replaced with, we also produced a response that included bromide. Though the reply stated that context matters, it did not provide a specific health warning, nor did it inquire about why we wanted to know, as we presume a medical professional would do.”

The man already followed a very restrictive diet, one that doctors found was impacting his levels of important micronutrients, like vitamin C and B12. He was also reportedly very thirsty, but at the same time very worried about the quality of the water he was being offered, since he distilled his own water. He was thoroughly tested and first kept at the hospital for electrolyte monitoring and repletion.

His test results, combined with the hallucinations, and other reported symptoms, including new facial acne, fatigue and insomnia, led the medical staff to believe the patient had bromism.

Bromism, a condition that was mostly reported in the early 20th century, is caused by ingesting high quantities of sodium bromide. The normal levels of bromide are between 0.9 to 7.3 mg/L, but this patient had 1,700 mg/L.

The patient remained in the hospital for treatment for three weeks, and was stable at his check-up two weeks after his discharge.

Bromism cases decreased after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) eliminated the use of bromide in the 1980s, the authors wrote. It was previously used in treatments for insomnia, hysteria and anxiety. However, the disease has reemerged now, with bromide being added to some unregulated dietary supplements and sedatives and the consumption of excess dextromethorphan, a substance included in cough medicine.

“While cases of bromism may remain relatively rare, it remains prudent to highlight bromism as a reversible cause of new-onset psychiatric, neurologic, and dermatologic symptoms, as bromide-containing substances have become more readily available with widespread use of the internet,” the authors wrote.

The doctors said that AI tools can be great for creating a bridge between scientists and the general population, but it also carries a risk of producing misinformation and giving information out of context, something that doctors are trained not to do.

“As the use of AI tools increases, providers will need to consider this when screening for where their patients are consuming health information,” the authors said in the case study.

OpenAI, the company that created ChatGPT, recently announced changes to their system, including being more careful when it comes to health-related questions. In one of the examples, the chatbot gives information but also includes a note about checking in with a health professional.

In response to the bromide case, OpenAI told Fox News Digital that no one should be using ChatGPT for health advice.

“Our terms say that ChatGPT is not intended for use in the treatment of any health condition, and is not a substitute for professional advice. We have safety teams working on reducing risks and have trained our AI systems to encourage people to seek professional guidance,” OpenAI said in a statement.

• ChatGPT giving teens dangerous advice on drugs, alcohol and suicide: new study
• $172 spoon helps cut back on salt using a ‘very weak electric current’

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New research is sounding the alarm about a major geological fault in the Yukon capable of triggering earthquakes of 7.5 magnitude or more.

Known as the

Tintina Fault

, it has built up structural strain that could lead to a large quake within our lifetime, according to researchers at the University of Victoria. They published their findings earlier this month in the journal, Geophysical Research Letters. The UVic team was led by

Ph.D student

, Theron Finley.

The fault stretches about 1,000 kilometres from

British Columbia to Alaska

. It was once thought to be inactive for at least 40 million years — since before the last ice age ended. Now scientists say it has a history of large ruptures within the last 2.6 million years and could do so again.

An earthquake of 7.5 magnitude

could damage the Klondike and Dempster highways, the researchers warn, potentially cutting off Dawson City and nearby communities from critical access routes. 

The Tintina Fault has not previously been recognized as a hazard within Canada’s National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM), which informs earthquake building codes and engineering standards. However, despite its quiet surface, the researcher warn it is far from dormant.

Using high-resolution topographic data gathered by satellites, planes and drones, researchers discovered geological formations along the Tintina Fault, one about 2.6 million years old and another roughly 132,000 years old. They have shifted sideways by approximately 1,000 metres and 75 metres.

While this suggests multiple past earthquakes, the exact timing and frequency are not known. Researchers cannot definitively state whether the fault is building pressure or predict when the next earthquake might occur.

“We don’t know exactly when these have occurred, so you can’t actually then make statements about recurrence periods,” Yukon’s Geoscience Research Manager,

Jan Dettmer

told the

Yukon News.

He cautioned against making definitive predictions about future seismic events and emphasized the need for additional study to fully understand the fault’s earthquake potential.

Unlike more active fault lines across the country, the researchers say Tintina was overlooked because faults in the region move very slowly and there are few instruments to detect earthquakes.

“I expect this (research) will trigger many studies in the next few years to much better understand what’s going on there,” Dettmer said.

To gain a better understanding of how often large earthquakes strike the Tintina fault, Finley said

they plan to excavate a paleoseismic trench across it

. This would allow the team to examine offset sediment layers and date past quakes, providing a clearer picture of the fault’s recurrence rate.

These findings will be incorporated into

future updates

and shared with local governments to improve emergency planning.

• Mike Pemberton wins Yukon Liberal leadership race, will be territory’s 11th premier
• America’s 49th state shows support for Canada that Trump wants to make its 51st

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It’s been over four years since news broke of a potentially shocking find in the grounds of what was once the largest residential school in Canada, in Kamloops, B.C.

Ground-penetrating radar revealed soil “anomalies” that might — or might not — be graves. Despite the uncertainty,

media organizations

and members of the public started referring to the anomalies as the graves of children. To date, no human remains have been confirmed or exhumed, and the suspected anomalies remain unverified.

Now a new survey

from Angus Reid

finds that a majority of Canadians, both Indigenous and not, are unwilling to accept that the anomalies are the graves of children without further evidence.

Survey participants were given the following question: “The Kamloops band’s claim of 215 unmarked graves of children was later revised to about 200 “anomalies” and suspected burial sites. The federal government has given $12.1 million in funding to assist in investigating this issue. To date, no additional reports have been made public. What is closer to your view?”

Sixty-three per cent of respondents chose: “People should only accept the claim that this is evidence of unmarked children’s graves if further information is publicly available to verify it through excavation.” The remaining 37 per cent agreed with: “People should accept the claim that this is evidence of unmarked children’s graves, even if no further information is publicly offered.”

Regionally, the number of people who thought more information was needed varied from 55 per cent in Quebec to 75 per cent in Manitoba.

The survey also asked respondents to identify themselves as Indigenous or non-Indigenous. When the Indigenous responses were tabulated, a slightly higher number (44 per cent) thought people should accept that the anomalies are unmarked children’s graves. But most (56 per cent) thought more information was needed to verify the claim.

The Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation first published the explosive news in

May of 2021

, stating: “This past weekend, with the help of a ground penetrating radar specialist, the stark truth of the preliminary findings came to light — the confirmation of the remains of 215 children who were students of the Kamloops Indian Residential School.”

Despite widespread questions about the nature of the anomalies, Canadians are united in the view that residential schools amounted to a form of “cultural genocide,” with 68 per cent agreeing or strongly agreeing with the term, and only 23 per cent disagreeing or strongly disagreeing. The remaining 9 per cent weren’t sure.

The survey also found that most Canadians overestimated how many Indigenous children attended residential schools. Roughly a third of respondents thought it was 40 to 60 per cent of children, while another third chose 60 to 80 per cent, and a few thought it was even higher. In fact, according to Angus Reid, roughly 30 per cent of Indigenous children attended a residential school, although it admits that precise numbers are unclear.

The survey also found little appetite in Canada for a law against those would deny the harmful effects of residential schools, something the

First Nations Leadership Council

called for this year. Almost two-thirds (62 per cent) of respondents were opposed or strongly opposed to the idea, while a further 24 per cent offered support or strong support, and 15 per cent weren’t sure.

There was less unanimity when respondents were asked to choose between the statements: “Canada spends too much time apologizing for Indian Residential Schools – it’s time to move on,” and “The harm from Indian Residential Schools continues and cannot be ignored.” Roughly half (46 per cent) agreed with the first statement, while the rest (54 per cent) agreed with the second. Women and adults under the age of 34 were more likely to choose the second statement, at 62 and 63 per cent, respectively.

• The year of the graves: How the world’s media got it wrong on residential school graves
• B.C. First Nation now referring to 215 suspected graves as ‘anomalies’ instead of ‘children’

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OTTAWA

— An increasing majority of Canadians view the federal government’s goal of seeing all new vehicle sales be zero-emission by 2035 as “unrealistic” and believe the rule ought to the scrapped, a new survey suggests. 

The polling firm Leger surveyed 1,617 respondents on their thoughts about the federal sales mandate for electric vehicles at the same time as Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government faces pressure from industry to abandon the policy.

The survey introduced the question by describing the mandate as key to the federal government’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.

“Currently, the federal government plans to prohibit the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035, meaning the only new vehicles for sale (10) years from now will be zero-emission vehicles, like electric. Which of the following viewpoints comes closest to yours?” it says.

Leger says 71 per cent of respondents agreed with the statement that “the target is unrealistic and will cost too much. It should be rolled back.”

Another 29 per cent said they agreed with the position, “this target is necessary and should be kept in place despite the challenges it poses.”

The online survey was conducted between Aug. 1-4. Online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not employ random sampling of

 the population.

Asked whether they believe that “it is realistic to prohibit the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035,” 39 per cent of respondents answered that they felt it was “not at all realistic,” with 30 per cent saying they felt it was “not very realistic.”

Twenty per cent of respondents answered that they believed it was “somewhat realistic,” and another six per cent said it was “very realistic.”

Andrew Enns, an executive vice-president at Leger, said that from the last time they asked this question in September 2023, the number of those who said the goal was realistic dropped by six percentage points.

Even in Quebec, he said, which is a province where research shows voters tend to be more sensitive towards environmental issues, the number of those who felt the policy was realistic dropped by around 18 points.

“They’re increasingly becoming skeptical,” said Enns.

Looking at the data, he said it is clear the government faces “a really significant uphill battle to convince Canadians that this policy is a good policy to pursue.”

Under the Liberals’ mandate, all new vehicle sales in Canada would have to be zero-emission by 2035, beginning with a sales target of 20 per cent by 2026, before increasing to 30 per cent by 2030.

Besides the ongoing trade war with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has targeted the automotive sector with tariffs, declining sales have been the other big concern automakers cite when they say the government’s 2026 target is unachievable and that the policy should be shelved.

Leger’s survey asked respondents why they believe electric vehicle sales have fallen as drastically as they have in the past year.

Statistics Canada reported that in the first quarter of this year, sales of zero-emission vehicles represented 8.7 per cent of new vehicle registrations, down from 23 per cent in the previous year.

According to the survey, 48 per cent of respondents said that even with government subsidies, they believe the price of these vehicles to be too expensive.

Another 39 per cent cited the lack of charging infrastructure, while 37 per cent of respondents said EVs “were not suitable to people’s needs,” and 32 per cent pointed to the lack of confidence in the vehicles themselves.

“The Canadians who have really lost confidence in this mandate

— females, individuals 35 and older,” Enns said.

He said, given such data and intensifying calls from automakers asking the Liberal government to scrap the mandate, Carney may pivot.

“This is a government that hasn’t been shy to reverse course on what has been sort of, I would argue, some pretty bedrock policies of the previous government.”

Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin, whose portfolio includes setting the targets for the mandate, has said the government will keep talking to industry to explore “flexibility.”

• Five auto CEOs warned Carney in May that EV mandate would ‘inflict serious damage’ across industry
• Internal government document predicted ‘immediate’ drop in EV sales without rebate subsidies

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OTTAWA — The federal government’s “comprehensive spending review” is too narrow and won’t save enough tax dollars to put Ottawa back on solid footing, a new report will conclude.

The report, to be released Thursday by the C.D. Howe Institute, says the Carney government’s spending review will only include about one-third of all federal program spending and is expected to save no more than $22 billion by 2028-29. The think tank says that’s less than half the $50 billion in savings that are needed to return federal government coffers to “a fair and prudent path” that would see Ottawa’s debt-to-GDP ratio stop climbing.

The report, called “Federal Expenditure Review: Welcome, But Flawed,” says that the problem with focusing only on limited areas of federal spending is that it reduces the scope for improving the quality of spending and ensures that some programs that endure cuts will be superior to some that aren’t touched.

It’s better to review broadly and eliminate programs that aren’t working well, the report says, instead of across-the-board cuts that don’t assess program success. John Lester, the report’s author, said governments often opt for the across-the-board approach because it’s easier than evaluating countless programs and can realize tangible results more quickly.

“You need some time to evaluate those programs,” said Lester, a former federal government economist, during an interview. “It’s a big job.”

Lester recommends expanding the review to cover the missing two-thirds of program spending, imposing a multi-year cap on operating costs to deliver immediate restraint, and then assessing programs through a value-for-money lens. He also calls for transparent goals and clear communication to build public consensus around the various options.

The government’s spending review follows years of hefty deficits that have left Ottawa and future generations with mountains of debt.

National Post reported last month on an earlier C.D. Howe report that forecasted that the Carney government is poised to post a massive deficit of more than $92 billion during this fiscal year, almost double what was forecast just a few months ago by a non-partisan officer of Parliament.

Just four months ago, the Parliamentary Budget Officer projected that the federal deficit would fall to $50.1 billion during this fiscal year, a slight improvement over the $61.9 billion shortfall recorded in 2023-24. The PBO also said at that time that federal deficits would continue to fall in the ensuring years, unless there were new measures to cut revenue or increase spending.

If this fiscal year’s deficit turns out to be as hefty as projected, it would be the second-largest deficit in Canadian history, topped only by the $327.7 billion shortfall from the pandemic year of 2020-21.

That earlier report also forecasted deficits of more than $77 billion a year over the next four years, also huge increases over what had been expected.

The decline in Ottawa’s fiscal health is largely a result of increased spending on defence and other items, the economic effects of the Trump tariffs, cuts to personal income tax and the GST for first-time homebuyers, and the elimination of the digital services tax.

But the federal government’s fiscal situation is unclear because there hasn’t been a budget in well over a year. The government took the highly unusual step this year of waiting until the fall to release its annual budget, more than half-way through the fiscal year.

National Post

• Finance minister directs cabinet colleagues to find billions in spending cuts
• Tens of thousands of federal public service jobs should be eliminated, think tank says

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