QuickCheck: Was the snow in Wizard of Oz really asbestos?

A screenshot of the scene in the Wizard of Oz (1939) where Dorothy and her friends wake up in a snow storm.

THE 1939 film The Wizard of Oz is an iconic movie that is still instantly recognisable by many and has impacted countless creative works.

It is also one of the films which legendary performer Judy Garland, who acted in the film as Dorothy when she was only 16 years old, is most well-known for.

One of the more famous scenes in the film depicted Dorothy falling asleep in a field of poppies and waking up in a snowstorm.

In recent years, there have been claims that the fake snow used in that scene was made of asbestos, a carcinogenic substance. Is this true?

Verdict:

TRUE

According to the Smithsonian Magazine, fake snow was often used in the early days of Hollywood due to the lack of computerised effects that could simulate snow.

While materials such as cotton and cornflakes painted white were also used to create fake snow during that period, some films used white asbestos to achieve a similar effect.

Among the movies that reportedly used asbestos to create fake snow include The Wizard of Oz and a few Christmas classics such as the 1942 film Holiday Inn and the 1946 film It’s A Wonderful Life.

Atlas Obscura also reported that the fake snow was not the only asbestos-laden prop in the production of The Wizard of Oz, as The Wicked Witch’s broom and the Scarecrow’s outfit were also made of asbestos.

References:

1. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-slow-demise-of-asbestos-the-carcinogen-that-gave-the-wizard-of-oz-snow

2. https://web.archive.org/web/20180821093747/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/crazy-tricks-early-filmmakers-used-fake-snow-180961522/