No evidence of ‘graphene oxide’ that’s ‘toxic’ in Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

An Instagram post with an incendiary video that speaks of  murder claims that Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is dangerously packed with something called graphene oxide.

The post, which uses abbreviations for the word vaccine, states: 

"99% Graphene Oxide in Pfizer V4X? Spanish scientists obtain vial of Pfizer v4xin3 and find that 98-99%." 

Graphene oxide, the post continues, "is toxic to the human body and causes a number of problems."

The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

A Pfizer spokesperson told PolitiFact that while graphene oxide — a material made by the oxidation of graphite — is used in some vaccines, it is not used at Pfizer.

The video with the post contains clips of statements made by Jane Ruby, whose Twitter account identifies her as "Dr. Jane Ruby." Ruby, is not a medical doctor, describing herself as a health economist and "New Right political pundit" with a doctorate in psychology. 

We rated False her claim that the COVID-19 vaccine from Novavax, which is seeking to become the fourth company with a vaccine approved for emergency use in the U.S., "dumps millions" of dangerous "spike proteins right into your body."

As Ruby speaks in the video, a message on the screen claims: "Graphene oxide: 99.99103% of Pfizer jab." She claims that over 99% of the Pfizer vaccine is graphene oxide, which she calls a poison, adding: "There’s no other reason for this to be in here except to murder people." 

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Pfizer spokesperson Jerica Pitts said the company does not use graphene oxide, and no graphene oxide is present in its COVID-19 vaccine.

Dr. Rebecca Wurtz, professor of infectious diseases at the University of Minnesota, said none of the ingredients in the list Pfizer provides to caregivers and patients for its COVID-19 vaccine show graphene oxide. None of the listed ingredients is another name for graphene oxide.

Graphene oxide does not appear in a list of ingredients published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. 

All three are recommended by public health experts, because they are highly effective at preventing COVID-19 infection and reduce the risk of severe illness, hospitalization and death from the disease.

More than 331 million doses of all three vaccines have been given in the United States, according to the CDC. More than 182 million Americans (55% of the population) have received at least one dose so far, with minimal complications reported despite the massive sample size.

A study published in May by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that graphene oxide nanoparticles would be effective in a flu vaccine, but that more study was needed to determine safety. Another May study also urged further research. It indicated that the use of graphene oxide would be effective for fighting the coronavirus, either with personal protective equipment or in treatment.

An Instagram post claimed that the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is "99% graphene oxide," which is "toxic to the human body and causes a number of problems." 

Pfizer said it does not use the material, and it is not shown in a federal list of ingredients in the three COVID-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use in the U.S.

We rate the post False.