The Wizard of Oz is receiving a new wave of attention, and people rewatching the 1939 film are encountering troubling claims about its production.

The renewed interest in the classic is due to the enthusiasm surrounding Jon M. Chu Evilthe film adaptation of a Broadway hit retold The Wizard of Oz. Content creators have taken to social media to address troubling aspects of the classic film’s behind-the-scenes story – including its alleged use of toxic chemicals and the treatment of its stars.

On November 24, Eveleen Pahau, who posts on TikTok under the username @youareen0ugh, posted a video showing how she felt when she saw a scene in the classic film that involved falling “snow,” which was supposedly from Asbestos existed.

“I knew it The Wizard of Oz was trending and while watching the film, the idea of ​​making the video came to me,” Pahau said Newsweek. “There is disagreement about whether asbestos was actually used, but a lot of evidence suggests that it contains at least some asbestos.”

According to Mesothelioma.com, “Hollywood famously used asbestos as artificial snow for many films.” It said chrysotile asbestos fibers – which have a white, layered appearance and fire-retardant properties – were used as artificial snow in the 1939 film.

Pahau said her viral clip attracted widespread attention due to its mix of nostalgia and shock value. In the text superimposed over the video, she wrote: “I watched this knowing the ‘snow’ was asbestos.”

Sylvia Shipman, a YouTuber from Brooklyn who posts under the pseudonym @celestialsylvia, shared a similar TikTok on Nov. 26 highlighting other aspects of the production story.

Shipman’s post, which has been viewed 3.4 million times, detailed the health and safety risks faced by the film’s cast. The creator noted that Buddy Ebsen, the original actor set to play the role of the Tin Man, almost died after aluminum powder from his makeup covered his lungs.

Ebsen’s replacement, Jack Haley, used a safer form of paste-based makeup, but still suffered eye infections during filming. The production wasn’t kind to Margaret Hamilton, who played the Wicked Witch of the West and was badly burned in a pyrotechnics mishap.

“Special effects were in their infancy, so many mistakes like this were sad parts of the learning process,” Shipman said Newsweek. “Safety regulations are written in blood.”

“It almost seems like these things have to happen before we learn the right way, and I believe that there are materials used in household products today that will one day be known to be harmful,” she continued.

In a separate video, Shipman said that the mistreatment of Judy Garland, who played Dorothy Gale, was one of the darkest aspects of the film’s production. Garland, who was 16 during filming, was under significant pressure to maintain a youthful, childlike appearance, the TikToker said. Studio managers reportedly forced her to take diet pills and relentlessly criticized her weight, which led to long-term body image issues.

“Today, women are still held to unfair standards,” Shipman said. “Judy Garland was expected to look like a child, even though they knew she was a physically developed teenager. This is tragic because she was beautiful and talented.”

Despite the allegations surrounding the production, Shipman said her admiration for the classic remains undiminished.

“I still love the film and I watch it Evil “The movie is coming to Broadway next week,” she said. “I think the actors were generally happy to be there, but they might have said something different if it hadn’t been a huge success.”

Shipman and Pahau’s viral videos have sparked online debate and drawn attention to the ethical compromises and health risks of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

“This was my mom’s favorite movie until she was diagnosed with mesothelioma,” one viewer commented on Pahau’s post. “After the diagnosis, she found out it was asbestos and just sobbed.”

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that is almost always caused by asbestos exposure.

“I get very emotional thinking about how Toto was treated on set,” one commenter wrote.

“Why is everything about this movie traumatic,” another added.

“I was aware that asbestos was used there Wizard of Oz, as well as other films of its time,” Shipman said. “But Toto’s paw just got sprained on set.”

Terry, the dog who played Toto, injured her paw on set after someone accidentally stepped on it.

“Asbestos wasn’t always part of those scary commercials that say ‘If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma,'” Shipman said. “Similar to radium, which I also made a video about, humanity often only learns its lesson after people have lost their lives.”

While many viewers view the film with renewed awareness, others argue that its legacy should be evaluated in the context of its time – and that it should serve as a reminder of how far Hollywood has come in protecting performers.

However, Shipman believed that critical analysis and appreciation could coexist.

She said: “A work as wonderful as this brings with it so much happiness, but we cannot ignore the sacrifices made for it.”