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FACT BRIEF

Does placing a wet towel nearby when slicing onions prevent crying?

By Sarah Thompson
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NO

The reason slicing onions makes cooks cry is a complicated reaction between various enzymes released from the onion's sliced cells that produce an irritant, propanethial S-oxide.

When this comes in contact with the human eye, crying is the result -- the body's response to try to flush the irritant away. There is no evidence that free-floating propanethial S-oxide in the air is drawn to water or that a moist towel nearby would reduce the amount of irritant that could potentially come in contact with eyes.

Lead Stories found no evidence that indicated onion enzymes are drawn to water or moist surfaces. Water is already present in the onion.

There are some onion-chopping anti-crying tips that do include water -- cutting onions under water or under running water, but in these cases the water becomes a barrier to the eye irritant.

See a full discussion of this at Lead Stories
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
University of Bristol School of Chemistry The lachrymatory factor in onions
Nature An onion enzyme that makes the eyes water
National Onion Association National Onion Association onion-slicing tips
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.