On July 24, 2023, a Georgian-language Facebook account published an excerpt from an interview with the actor Jim Caviezel from the movie “Sound of Freedom.” In the description of the post, the author claims that the film depicts a real international system of child trafficking, which involves high-ranking people, the so-called elites. The author also quotes actor Jim Caviezel and links the film to the trade in organs and adrenochrome – a substance obtained from the bodies of children.
In relation to the topic of adrenochrome, on July 21, 2023, another Georgian-language Facebook account published a screenshot of the scientific article “Effects of adrenochrome and epinephrine on human arterial endothelial cells in vitro”. with a screenshot. The Facebook user is using the article as proof that Adrenochrome is not a conspiracy theory.
The same information was spread by several Russian-language Facebook accounts (1, 2, 3).
The posts contain disinformation and conspiracy theories. In fact:
- Although the movie “Sound of Freedom” concerns child trafficking and sexual exploitation, it does not mention adrenochrome or the theories associated with it. The creators of the film, as well as Angels Studio, have publicly denied any connection to this conspiracy.
- The PubMed article discusses the effects of adrenochrome on human arterial endothelial cells under laboratory conditions. The scientific community does not deny the existence of adrenochrome, however, claims about the purpose of its use are baseless and part of a conspiracy theory.
What is “Sound of Freedom” about?
The film tells the story of Tim Ballard, an agent of the State Security Investigation Service who works on child pornography cases. After one of the arrests, Agent Ballard pretends to be a pedophile to gain the arrestee’s trust and acquire information about the identity and location of one of the victims, Miguel. About three months earlier, Miguel and his sister, Rocio, had been kidnapped and sold from Honduras after their father, Roberto, had been contacted by someone named Giselle, promising modeling careers for their children. With Miguel freed, Agent Ballard sets out to find Rocio and free other victims. The investigation takes him to Cartagena (Colombia), where he, together with a former drug accountant and a Colombian police officer, creates a scheme to deceive child traffickers. Ballard founds a sex club, where along with kidnapped minors, he invites traffickers to cooperate, including Giselle, who directly led the kidnapping operation of Miguel and Rocio. Ballard’s scheme succeeds. Under his auspices, all criminals are arrested, and 54 children are released. At the end of the film, the audience sees footage of Tim Ballard’s operations and his testimony before Congress. It is worth noting that the main character of the film, Tim Ballard, is a real person who worked in the Department of State Security and was involved in operations to prevent child trafficking, although the film itself is not a documentary.
What is Adrenochrome?
According to the publication Spinoff, adrenochrome is a chemical compound that is obtained by oxidation (combining with oxygen) adrenaline. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved the substance, although researchers can purchase 25 mg for $55. Outside of the US, in some countries, the mentioned substance is used by doctors for blood clotting.
According to the conspiracy theory, satan-worshipping global and Hollywood elites operate a child-trafficking system to use their blood to obtain the chemical adrenochrome, which rejuvenates them. The conspiracy is supported by members of the QAnon movement. According to their beliefs, politicians, journalists, the Hollywood elite, and other celebrities are members of this secret group of satanic pedophiles.
The producers of the film disagree with the statements of actor Jim Caviezel
Actor Jim Caviezel, who plays Agent Tim Ballard in “Sound of Freedom,” is a believer in the conspiracy theory surrounding adrenochrome and child trafficking. During press conferences for the film, he claimed that child traffickers were taking children’s blood to obtain the “elixir of life” – Adrenochrome. Despite the fact that the film is based on the life of a real person, the events unfolding in the story do not reflect real history. Although the film is about child trafficking and sexual exploitation, there is no mention of adrenochrome or the theories associated with it in “Sound of Freedom”. Additionally, the producers of the film and Angels Studio have publicly denied any connection to this conspiracy. Therefore, the fictional plot of the film has nothing to do with the aforementioned conspiracy.
Adrenochrome conspiracy and the study published on Pubmed
The scientific article “Effects of adrenochrome and epinephrine on human arterial endothelial cells in vitro” deals with umbilical cord arterial endothelial cells cultured in laboratory conditions. The results of the research showed that adrenochrome inhibits the incorporation of thymidine, reduces the protein content, stimulates the absorption of cholesterol, and reduces the production of prostacyclin. In comparison, epinephrine took 24 hours to inhibit thymidine incorporation and prostacyclin production. Of the two substances, adrenochrome and epinephrine, neither affects lipid peroxidation. The mentioned study cannot be used as evidence of the “adrenochrome conspiracy theory” since the scientific community does not deny its existence. Moreover, researchers in America can buy 25 mg for 55 dollars, although the conspiracy theory itself speaks not about the general existence of this substance but about how and for what it is used for. It should be noted that the subject of child trafficking is real and similar cases are investigated by law enforcement agencies, although there is no evidence or reasonable suspicion that famous people use fluids taken from children’s bodies for rejuvenation.
For more information on the mentioned conspiracy, see the article prepared by “Myth Detector:”
About the Sources
The Georgian-language Facebook users Nino Nino and Maia Tvatvadze, who published information on the adrenochrome conspiracy theory, have spread disinformation in the past as well (1,2,3,4). False posts published by them have been verified by “Myth Detector”.
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