evidence: Some people believe that chemtrails are a "secret, large-scale atmospheric spraying program," said a study published in 2016 by the Carnegie Institution for Science, University of California Irvine and the nonprofit organization Near Zero. [...] The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has also debunked the chemtrails conspiracy theory. The agency says it is not aware of any deliberate release of chemicals or biological agents into the atmosphere. People who spread the conspiracy theory cite varying alleged purposes for the chemtrails, including weather modification, chemical or biological weapons testing and manipulating stock prices by damaging crops. In the TikTok clip, Perlingieri mentioned weather modification, and that theory also has been embraced by Alex Jones of InfoWars, who is known for spreading misinformation.