Did a mother's daily use of an air fryer result in high levels of antimony in her child's bloodwork? No, that's not known to be true: The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued several recalls on air fryers in the past, but fire and burn hazards were the reason -- not the release of antimony. The woman provided no proof that an air-fryer cord can cause high levels of antimony in people who eat food prepared with an air fryer. An expert in industrial chemistry told Lead Stories there would be no route for anything that's part of the cord to contaminate food.
The claim about antimony and air fryers appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok by @moonloopsco on June 26, 2024. The post has a lengthy caption that begins:
THROW YOUR AIR FRYERS OUT. They are full of toxic metals that ARE getting into your food. Even if your machine is made of stainless steel it still has aluminum components and the actual wire that plugs into your wall will have a flame retardant coating on it that will also affect the food. I have been preparing most of my son's meals in this machine: waffles, chicken nuggets, tots, etc. EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR 2.5 YEARS. No wonder he tested so astronomically high for antimony!!! ...
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Thu Jul 11 18:48:27 2024 UTC)
The caption continued:
Did this cause his autism? Maybe this isnt autism. Just maybe jt js neurological damage due to poison in a small, developing body. Also, remember that while genetics load the gun for autism, environment pulls the trigger. Having this high of a toxic load as a developing baby is DETRIMENTAL ...
The caption concluded:
Keep following to see if by getting rid of his heavy metal load he is able to heal.
I am not selling any product I just am selling TRUTH.
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#heavymetal #detox #autism #autismmom #heavymetaldetox #autismfamily #eatclean #cleanproducts #airfryers #enviornmentaltoxins #toxicproducts #mthfr
Antimony is a metallic element (Sb) used in the manufacture of many things, including flame-retardant textiles, sleepwear, military applications and plastics. The ToxGuide pamphlet (.PDF here) from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services notes that everyone can be exposed to "low levels of antimony" from a range of sources:
- The general population is exposed to low levels of antimony from ingestion of food and drinking water and by inhalation of dust. Dermal exposure may also occur through skin contact with soil, water, or other substances containing antimony.
- The general population may also be exposed to antimony in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) water bottles.
- Antimony compounds are used medically to treat parasitic diseases such as leishmaniasis.
Lead Stories emailed the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), an independent government agency, to ask if there were any recalls or warnings regarding antimony in air fryers, specifically from the power cord. CPSC Press Secretary Patty Davis responded by email on July 10, 2024:
CPSC has recalled air fryers in the past, but not for antimony. Those recalls are accessible on our website at cpsc.gov. Here are the 6 recalls. They were recalled for fire, burn or laceration hazards.
Best Buy Recalls Insignia® Air Fryers and Air Fryer Ovens Due to Fire, Burn and Laceration Hazards | CPSC.gov
Empower Brands Recalls Power XL Dual Basket Air Fryers Due to Burn Hazard | CPSC.gov
Secura Recalls Air Fryers Due to Fire and Burn Hazards (Recall Alert) | CPSC.gov
Two Million COSORI® Air Fryers Recalled by Atekcity Due to Fire and Burn Hazards (Recall Alert) | CPSC.gov
Newair Recalls Magic Chef Air Fryers Due to Fire and Burn Hazards | CPSC.gov
Best Buy Recalls Insignia™ Air Fryers and Air Fryer Ovens Due to Fire and Burn Hazards | CPSC.gov
At Lead Stories' request, Indiana University Adjunct Professor of Chemistry Bill Carroll reviewed the video on TikTok to share his insights about the situation the video's narrator described. Carroll has expertise in organic chemistry, plastics and industrial chemistry.
In a July 11, 2024, phone conversation with Lead Stories, Carroll pointed out that the video contained no evidence that the air-fryer cord contained antimony and that the cord had not been tested. If antimony were present in the jacketing of the cord, he noted, there would be no route for that to contaminate food cooked in the fryer.
Additional Lead Stories fact checks of claims about substances that are toxic or purported to be toxic can be found here.
