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Check the Claim: Was cancer-causing snow sold as Christmas decor?

SKILL: Check the Claim

DIFFICULTY: Simple

SUBJECT(S): Pop Culture, History, Science

Posted: December 12, 2025

Students will check the claim to learn that cancer-causing decorative snow really existed in the 1940s and 1950s.

Related Lesson

Verification Skills Lesson 3: Check the Claim (sign-in required)

Link to Example

Asbestos Snow (Instagram)
Photograph of vintage box showing an illustration of a cabin at night in a snowy forest with the the words "Asbestos Pure White Fire Proof Snow: Looks Like Real Snow, Cleanest-Whitest-Best"

Background

Asbestos is a mineral made up of microscopic fibers that was once widely used in textiles and building materials because of its strength and fire-resistance. In the mid 20th century, inhalation of asbestos was conclusively found to cause lung diseases, including lung cancer, and it has since been banned in many countries.



About the Example

Teacher note: If you cannot access Instagram, click here for a screenshot of the post that you can share with your students.

This Instagram post shows an image of what appears to be a charming vintage box of decorative snow made from asbestos. Did people really deck the halls with this deadly carcinogen?

A keyword search for “asbestos decorative snow” brings up an article from Snopes, a professional fact-checking organization, that confirms this was indeed a real product sold in the 1940s and 1950s.

Tis the season to be jolly… and cautious of antique ornaments!

When checking this claim you may have come across articles that repeat the myth that asbestos “snow” was used in The Wizard of Oz. It’s true that asbestos was used on some early Hollywood sets, but the fake snow in The Wizard of Oz was most likely made from gypsum instead.



Activities 

  1. Show students the Instagram post and have them summarize the claim. 
  2. Have students use a keyword search to see if reputable sources have reported on or fact-checked this claim.
  3. Ask students to click on Snopes’ coverage. Guiding questions:
    • Is the claim true, false or somewhere in between? Explain your reasoning.
    • Even when a claim turns out to be true, why is it important to trade up to a higher quality source of information before sharing or repeating the claim?


Optional Activity

Watch Skill: Search the History of an Image and ask students to practice using a reverse image search to find more context about the photograph.



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