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FACT BRIEF

Is the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine made up of 99.9% graphene oxide, a toxic compound?

By Ali Swenson
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NO

The Pfizer vaccine does not contain any graphene oxide according to the ingredient list and Kit Longley, senior manager of science media relations at Pfizer. Videos on social media spread the false claim that the material made by oxidizing graphite was found in a vial of the Pfizer shot.

Chemical and medical experts who are not associated with Pfizer confirmed to The Associated Press that there is no way graphene oxide would be found in the vaccine.

“It is not in the ingredient list and there is no way it could be present,” said Allen Myerson, a professor of chemical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

There has been research on potentially using graphene oxide in other vaccines, but the amounts would not be toxic to human cells, according to Johns Hopkins infectious disease specialist Dr. Amesh Adalja.  

See a full discussion of this at The Associated Press
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Food and Drug Administration Fact sheet for recipients and caregivers—Pfizer BioNTech vaccine
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The Associated Press
The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business.
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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.