Fact check: 'Adrenochrome' kegs shown in post are art, not real

A Feb. 25 Facebook post (direct link, archived link) features an image of a metal keg marked with a red stripe and the word "ADRENOCHROME."

"Nqthing tq see here (sic)," reads the post's caption. "Adrenochrome was transported worldwide in the barrels of the Dutch company Heineken. The barrels were transported by the Dutch oil company Shell."

The post was shared more than 700 times in a month. Other versions of the claim using the same image are circulating on Twitter and Telegram.

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The kegs pictured in the posts were created by artist Natalie Lambert as part of an installation exhibited at the University of Arts London in 2018. Representatives for Shell and Heineken told USA TODAY neither company has ever produced or transported adrenochrome.

Adrenochrome is a chemical compound produced from adrenaline, a hormone secreted by the body's adrenal glands that initiates the fight-or-flight response.

The image of the adrenochrome kegs circulated on multiple Telegram channels used by followers of the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory, which claims there is a satanic cabal of global elites taking part in an international child sex trafficking ring.

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Many QAnon followers erroneously believe powerful people in government, media and Hollywood harvest and consume adrenochrome from children's blood. But that claim is baseless and has been repeatedly debunked by USA TODAY and other outlets.

Lambert previously told Reuters the images used in the posts show her artwork. Images of the kegs and Lambert's entire adrenochrome project are available on Instagram accounts for both the artist and the University's Central Saint Martins fine art program alumni.

Neither Lambert nor the University of the Arts London responded to a request for comment.

Pictures of Lambert's project have previously been misused to promote false claims about the harvest of adrenochrome from children.

Anna Arata, a spokesperson for Shell, confirmed the company does not manufacture or transport adrenochrome.

"This substance is not and has never been a product in Shell's chemicals portfolio," Arata said in an email. "Heineken is not and has never been a customer of Shell Trading and supply."

A spokesperson for Heineken told USA TODAY in an email that the company has "never been involved in the production, transport or shipment of adrenochrome."

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USA TODAY reached out to the social media users who shared the post for comment.

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