Ethylene oxide on covid swabs?

[Kaylasmum49]

I had a friend send me an article about the swabs used in covid tests being coated in ethylene oxide. It says that there is a risk of certain cancers with using the swabs. I think my friend is being sucked into the conspiracy theories and she keeps trying to get me to read all these theories.

Has anyone heard anything concerning about the swabs. My dd is testing twice weekly for school.

Unless both you and your partner (and all of both of your previous partners) are fully vaccinated against the Human papillomavirus, your much much much more likely to get head and throat cancers from sucking a dick than you are from a 10 second swab twice a week.

Debunking the most recent Covid misinformation

www.bbc.co.uk/news/56680399

Ps. Thanks for the links to your conspiracy theorists lies. Everyone can get reported as they break the rules of most SM problems. The twitter one is gone. Hopefully the fb videos will be deleted next.

So if I make you a batch of brownies and only use a smal pinch of dog poop would you eat them? you’re implying that a small amount of EO on a swab isn’t going to cause cancer. If someone only takes one hit of every cigarette they smoke are they not prone to lung and other cancers. What you are saying is absurd.

We are talking molecules. I wouldn't be surprised to find out I eat a couple of molecules of shit every time I eat a brownie tbh.

I know this thread is a bit old but I am also concerned about this. On the National Cancer Institute website it states 'The ability of ethylene oxide to damage DNA makes it an effective sterilizing agent but also accounts for its cancer-causing activity.'
www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances/ethylene-oxide
Why would they put this on a swab that needs to be pushed up the nose?

Yes it talks about industrial exposure not exposure following sterilisation. Following sterilisation there is no residue as it is a gas.

@Obviouspretzel

We are talking molecules. I wouldn't be surprised to find out I eat a couple of molecules of shit every time I eat a brownie tbh.

tbh you're probably eating a couple of molecules of Boris Johnsons's shit every time you eat a brownie

On the Gas detection website it states that 'there is a concern on the part of both the warehouse operators and swab manufacturers regarding the potential exposure of their employees to toxic levels of ethylene oxide' and that 'most packages will show a small residual of ethylene oxide'. I would prefer not to take the risk.
Ref: www.gasdetection.com/gas-detection-knowledge-base/interesting-applications/covid-19-swabs-ethylene-oxide-and-warehouses/

Freedom of Information request about safe thresholds of ethylene oxide residue on NHS Covid Lateral Flow (LFT) test swabs currently distributed by the NHS (FOI-21-300) Published 28th May. Response by MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency).

Read it and make up your own mind.
See link for full info:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/freedom-of-information-responses-from-the-mhra-week-commencing-19-april/freedom-of-information-request-about-safe-thresholds-of-ethylene-oxide-residue-on-nhs-covid-lateral-flow-lft-test-swabs-currently-distributed-by-the

Extract: "The sterilisation process, including residual testing, is documented by the manufacturer. This documentation is reviewed by an independent third-party body ..., before the manufacturer is allowed to manufacture swabs for the UK market. Testing on random samples of swabs by the approved body once market approval has been given is unusual. However, the ‘Approved body’ carries out periodic audits of the manufacturer’s process to ensure continued compliance.
As part of the sterilisation process the manufacturer must confirm, and document, that the residual EO level on a medical device is below the specified allowable limit before the device is packaged ready for use."

I may have misunderstood, but isn't this just the manufacturer producing documents to say that testing went OK, then the independent 3rd party body reviews the documentation, audits the process and nods in agreement? Actual testing by a 3rd party body was stated as "unusual". Is it just me who is confused that independent testing isn't standard? .

History tells us rigorous actual independent testing isn't always part of policy. BBC News today reports on Hampshire school where pupils died due to treatment for haemophilia with contaminated blood products. There's now a public inquiry.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57547366

It is a gas they put in antifreeze.
It is a dangerous cancer causing gas.
To all the people calling truthers crazy conspiracy theorists answer me this.
Why have the USA spoke out about the tests being unsafe and told people to stop using them?
Also why is it the untested unvaxed, unmasked, protesting will thousands of strangers are the only healthy ones?
Why is it the only ones who are getting the new variants the ones who have had the jab?
Oh and BTW a virus is only proven to be real if it has been isolated.
So have a nice day

@Akita37

It is a gas they put in antifreeze. It is a dangerous cancer causing gas. To all the people calling truthers crazy conspiracy theorists answer me this. Why have the USA spoke out about the tests being unsafe and told people to stop using them? Also why is it the untested unvaxed, unmasked, protesting will thousands of strangers are the only healthy ones? Why is it the only ones who are getting the new variants the ones who have had the jab? Oh and BTW a virus is only proven to be real if it has been isolated. So have a nice day

there is so much to unpack here @Akita37

• many explanations have been given explaining why the process of using ethylene oxide to sterilise things does not leave cancer-causing residues on the actual items
• the USA haven't told people to not use the swab tests - do you have a source for this?

Also why is it the untested unvaxed, unmasked, protesting will thousands of strangers are the only healthy ones?

• ditto on the source for this insanity

Oh and BTW a virus is only proven to be real if it has been isolated.

• i recognise this one from a previous myth doing the rounds on MN. The full genome for SARS-COV-2 has been isolated and sequenced 1000s of time, it's definitely real. What do you think has been causing hospitalisations and deaths if not coronavirus? How do you convince every government & scientific body in the world to agree to go along with a lie? Who benefits from a fake virus?

I think you may be getting various conspiracy theories confused @Akita37.
The antifreeze is in the Pfizer Jab. Except it isn't really. It's a derivative of something in antifreeze which is used in do many things

Sorry it is another component of antifreeze but no residue remains