A live video posted on Facebook about the methods used to sterilize medical equipment falsely suggested that ‘ethylene oxide-coated’ swabs in lateral flow tests cause cancer. This claim reveals the lack of understanding of the user about the sterilization process.
The 11-minute video was streamed on March 19 and has since been viewed tens of thousands of times (here, here). In it, the Facebook user presents an NHS lateral flow test for COVID-19, which contains a note on the packaging saying that it has been sterilized with ethylene oxide.
“If you test your children with this, take a piece of plastic with fibers at the end that has been sterilized with ethylene oxide, which can cause cancer by damaging DNA,” says the user. ‘It reads on a government website. It also says that on the packaging I just took out of this sealed box … these are important things, guys. ‘
The user also reads the harmful effects of ethylene oxide from a website of the National Cancer Institute in the United States (here). He adds: ‘You put it in your head. Ethylene oxide is a chemical that causes cancer, which is used for sterilization. It damages DNA and some people allow it to be placed in their children’s head, thus affecting the membrane that separates the nasal passage from the brain. It can not only endanger the endocrine system to cause encephalitis […]
‘I beg you not to test your children. It can cause leukemia. It can cause lymphoma. It can cause breast cancer […] They literally tell us that it causes cancer and people go on: ‘You’re a fucking conspiracy theorist. Maybe so. But it is not a theory if there is evidence on a government website that contains something that is at the back of the document of the PCR test. ”
Although the Facebook user rightly says that ethylene oxide is considered carcinogenic (here, here) and that the form of gaseous is used to sterilize swabs (here), it is not accurate to say that the swabs are “covered with dust” ” is not. is finally used. A large part of the sterilization process ensures that the gas is removed from the product (here) and that the remaining residue is below the safety levels set by national and international standards (here, here, here, here, here).
Ethylene oxide gas (EO) is a very common feature of sterilization of medical equipment (here). EO-sterilized equipment has been in use for decades, making up approximately 50% of all sterile medical devices in the US (here, here).
A basic process for sterilizing products involves a number of steps: preconditioning and humidification, gas introduction, exposure, evacuation and air washes. Thereafter, time is set aside for aeration to further free devices from residual EO (here, here). In a 2017 study on rayon and cotton tubes used to collect DNA samples, residues were found to fall below measurable levels three weeks after being treated with EO (here, here).
In a statement to Reuters, the Department of Health and Social Care addressed allegations that COVID-19 blemishes pose a danger to humans. It says: “Lateral flow tests have been carefully tested and are safe to use regularly. Any suggestions otherwise are inaccurate and harmful misinformation.
“Ethylene oxide is only used for the sterilization of swabs and it is one of the most used sterilization instruments in the healthcare industry, which is mainly used by manufacturers to keep medical devices safe.
“We are working on lock with social media platforms to ensure they identify false allegations about the pandemic and act to remove false allegations about the pandemic, including deliberately false information that could threaten human health.”
VERDICT
Untrue. Although ethylene oxide is a carcinogen that is widely used to sterilize medical equipment, the sterilization process is strictly controlled to ensure that the remaining residue is negligible – and to ensure that medical devices are safe to use.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our work to actually check social media posts.