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.

Why is questioning what product is going up children’s noses seen as such an awful sin. It’s called common sense. Use your brain! She is trying to ask a genuine question so back off with your shaming!!

@mercyme123

Hi. I'm really glad for the insight on ethylene oxide for lft. It has reassured me, as I was looking up this info. Not impressed with some attitudes as to label persons as anti-vaxers and conspiracy theorists. We are in a time of new things being put out there so we should all be free to research and ask questions without these labels being attached. There's enough fear out there already.

I'm glad the information has helped, but do be wary about what you're researching when you're reading things online. I recommend PubMed for credible, peer reviewed papers written by scientists, there's lots of reports there and you can search for key words to find what you're looking for.

There is absolutely no shame in trusting the judgement of people that are more knowledgeable than you, none at all. I did my diss on the kinetics of polypeptide phospholipid membrane folding, but when the doctor prescribes me a drug, you best believe I'm going to trust their judgement and take it, because I simply don't know as much as they do about that topic.

In the same way, you wouldn't ask a plumber to fix your electrics- don't let the voices of non-scientists speak over the scientific community.

this subject has only just come to my attention and from a quick search online Ethylene Oxide looks pretty nasty, i am so shocked what i found. I will be telling my loved ones asap as they are all testing.

the best info i found was on public health England itself;

assets.publishing.services.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/614329/Ethylene_oxide_general_information.pgf

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/614329/Ethylene_oxide_general_information.pdf

this one hopefully works

@Jonnysurfdude Parents worry about theyre children more then anything, to dismiss something just cos it came from a wacko conspiracist is stupidity???? Theories are theories, we wouldn't get anywhere in life if we didn't have theor

Sure. There are multiple chemists, microbiologists and other scientists on this thread who have explained in great detail why it is not harmful.

Asking questions is not stupid. Refusing to listen to the answers is.

If you prefer to listen to "a wacko conspiracist" rather than people who actually know what they are talking about, that is your choice. But it is a stupid choice.

I started this thread and after reading comments from posters who have scientific knowledge I am not so concerned.

@Saucery

So she’s getting sucked into batshit anti-vacc conspiracy theories and you thought you’d spread them further on here? I wish MNHQ would clamp down on these disingenuous anti-vacc posts.

Anti-vacc posts? You do realise this is a post about the tests?

OP, thanks for starting this - I have found it informative. And I am glad people are still able to ask questions (for the most part!)

[quote Charlitts]this subject has only just come to my attention and from a quick search online Ethylene Oxide looks pretty nasty, i am so shocked what i found. I will be telling my loved ones asap as they are all testing.

the best info i found was on public health England itself;

assets.publishing.services.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/614329/Ethylene_oxide_general_information.pgf[/quote]
Please don't warn against using them. It is safe in the tiny quantities on the swabs and will not cause you or your loved ones any damage. It has been routinely in sterilisation for a long time and those guidelines are for the chemists that are in contact with higher concentrations for prolonged periods.

It's sometimes used for sterilising dental equipment and other medical implements as it is less corrosive than steam. It is toxic in high concentrations, like nearly every compound. As a PP said, if it's safe enough to preserve the DNA of the cells on the swab for testing, it's safe enough for the cells in your nose.

@Kaylasmum49 I started this thread and after reading comments from posters who have scientific knowledge I am not so concerned.

I am glad that you have, rightly, been fully reassured by the multiple scientists working in this field who have taken the time to explain in great detail why it is not a concern.

My post was really directed at the many other posters who have come on this thread since then and have chosen to ignore all of those people and instead to continue to spread blatantly false information and to scaremonger.

I wonder what their motivation is and who is really behind those posts.

@Kaylasmum49

I started this thread and after reading comments from posters who have scientific knowledge I am not so concerned.

Glad to hear that OP, a good test for these sorts of concerns is asking yourself whether the hundreds of thousands of scientists involved in testing would allow it to go ahead, if it really was dangerous.

Conspiracy theorists often present themselves as "uncovering" new information or "waking up" to something that no one else has realised, but in reality ?0,000s of people know about the potential risks of ethylene oxide in high concentrations, but are knowledgeable and experienced enough to understand that it is not a danger in the tiny amount on the swab.

If a scientist or healthcare professional with a degree and decades of experience is happy to use the swab on themselves, then I think you're safe to say it's not dangerous. The protocols for testing and trialling ANYTHING released to the public are rigorous and unsparing, nothing escapes their notice and they know exactly how every chemical in a substance interacts with the body. They can't afford to take chance, and don't.

To disregard a statement or a conspiracy theory you need to research the facts. Ethylene Oxide' is a flammable colorless gas with a sweet odor. It is used primarily to produce other chemicals, including antifreeze. In smaller amounts, ethylene oxide is used as a pesticide and a sterilizing agent. The ability of ethylene oxide to damage DNA makes it an effective sterilizing agent but also accounts for its cancer-causing activity' National Cancer Institute, Dec 2018. So No she is not going crazy it is a dangerous chemical and should not be used on a mass scale. I am not a big fan of what we call Conspiracy Theories but what do you call truth and how do you differentiate it? It is good to research everything that you are told and even though it is difficult, to tell the truth. We are exposed to a lot of chemicals nowadays and it is deemed normal as it is widely used but of course it should not be normal. A question, do you know which chemical is used on tampons?

A question, do you know which chemical is used on tampons?

I know which one isn't used in their manufacture anymore.

Do you know what chemicals are found in your knickers or bra?

Angrymum22 risks are all around us that is inevitable but prevention is better than cure. Children have fun playing at the park on obstacles that can injure them that is everyday common things, your child can fall over and hurt themselves in school so what’s your point? Are you saying to deprive children of their creativity and subject them to neglect? Swabs are not an everyday thing that has come in to place due to unfortunate circumstances. Does a trampoline have harmful toxins that can get into the vessel/brain? Please think logical and stay on topic please as every opinion on the subject matter is valid.

Ethylene would make a great name for a baby girl.

OOPS WRONG THREAD

It’s good to ask these questions it’s shows you are a good parent instead of just saying it’s conspiracy and not looking at the facts. It’s sad to see on here how many people have just dismissed it without even giving it a look just shows how un caring some parents can be. If you look inside the box of swabs you get it says the swabs are sterilised in ethylene oxide. Fact! This is not a concern unless long term exposure. Putting this in your child’s nose and throat twice a week for who knows how long is long term exposure. Google the effects of ethylene oxide some include cancer and infertility. Fact! I’d do what’s best for your child rather than be guilt tripped into taking a dangerous test. Let the people who don’t care explain to their children years in the future they have cancer because they were taking a test for a virus that has a 99.8% survival rate

@Kay2804

It’s good to ask these questions it’s shows you are a good parent instead of just saying it’s conspiracy and not looking at the facts. It’s sad to see on here how many people have just dismissed it without even giving it a look just shows how un caring some parents can be. If you look inside the box of swabs you get it says the swabs are sterilised in ethylene oxide. Fact! This is not a concern unless long term exposure. Putting this in your child’s nose and throat twice a week for who knows how long is long term exposure. Google the effects of ethylene oxide some include cancer and infertility. Fact! I’d do what’s best for your child rather than be guilt tripped into taking a dangerous test. Let the people who don’t care explain to their children years in the future they have cancer because they were taking a test for a virus that has a 99.8% survival rate

A 15 second swab twice a week it not long term exposure. Long term exposure is working with the chemical for hours at a time in higher concentrations. I've worked with EeO in the past, 4 hours every day for 6 weeks, which is below the maximum safe exposure guidelines, so a quick swab twice a week is definitely not going to give your child cancer.

@Wendyhause

Ethylene would make a great name for a baby girl.

OOPS WRONG THREAD

Nickname Polly?

That works.

We are exposed to a lot of chemicals nowadays and it is deemed normal as it is widely used but of course it should not be normal.

Considering that everything is made of "chemicals", it can't help be normal. Some of them are essential for life. Dihydrogen monoxide, for example.

Some people on here, honestly, do you not think for yourselves anymore?
My kids who are 15 & 16 don’t get tested. Why? Well, for the past 16 years, I’ve relied on symptoms, you know, when we sneeze or run a temperature, cough or have a sore throat- to tell me if they are ill, and it’s worked. So, I won’t be sticking anything up their noses, not until I have a valid reason to...

The link has been removed?

Hi, I'm 59 and am a Mum to six Children ranging from 17 to 40, I am certainly not a Conspiracy theorist. One of my older sons sent me information about the Ethyline Oxide this afternoon and I too am a little alarmed, I did some searching and have read in a few different places, information about this and I really am alarmed but not sure where to take my concerns. X