AUGUSTA, Maine — There is a lot of misinformation about what is in the COVID-19 vaccines. One of the more recent claims comes from a doctor named Carrie Madej.
She said she found RNA-modifying nano-technology, graphene oxide, transhumanism technology, PEG (Polyethylene Glycol), SM-102, luciferase and technology derived from fetal-tissue cell lines.
This claim is misleading and needs context.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publishes the ingredients of the vaccines on its website. The ingredients include PEG and SM-102, and the companies report fetal tissue cell lines were used in the research, development, production, and manufacturing of the different vaccines, but those cells are not in the actual fluid.
RNA-modifying nanotechnology, graphene oxide, transhumanism technology, and luciferase are not on the list.
We're looking into this claim for a few reasons:
- Dr. Madej has a wide reach on social media with more than 90,000 followers on Twitter and more than 42,000 followers on Instagram
- Some of the items she claims are in the vaccines are indeed present, but are not harmful to humans.
THE QUESTION:
Do the COVID-19 vaccines contain graphene oxide?
OUR SOURCES:
MaineGeneral Health Chief Medical Officer Steve Diaz, M.D.
Northern Light Health
Maine CDC
Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson
THE ANSWER:
WHAT WE FOUND:
Graphene oxide is a material made by oxidizing graphite. News outlets such as the Associated Press spoke with health experts at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia who debunked the claim that the material is in the vaccines.
“It is not in the ingredient list and there is no way it could be present,” Allen Myerson, a professor of chemical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told the AP.
“Utter nonsense,” Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine expert at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, told the AP
The Maine CDC called the claim "false and ridiculous."
Northern Light's Doctor James Jarvis called it "so far out there."
"This has not been verified. It's not a peer-reviewed journal. There is no substance of accountability to the person who has published this," Dr. Steve Diaz, chief medical officer for MaineGeneral Health, said.
Not only is graphene oxide not listed in the ingredients, but neither is luciferase, or "transhumanism technology."
The U.S. CDC says on its website:
"None of the vaccines contain eggs, gelatin, latex, or preservatives. All COVID-19 vaccines are free from metals such as iron, nickel, cobalt, lithium, rare earth alloys or any manufactured products such as microelectronics, electrodes, carbon nanotubes, or nanowire semiconductors."
Facebook even flagged Madej's post as misinformation about the vaccine.
Some people can be allergic to PEG, so doctors recommend those people ask their doctor if the J&J vaccine could be a safe option.