Medical equipment which has been tested with ethylene oxide is safe, with the sterilisation process being strictly regulated

Claims have been spreading across social media channels stating that coronavirus tests, or the sampling swabs which are included in the kits, contain ethylene oxide which is hazardous to human health. The Health Board is happy to state quite firmly that such claims are entirely incorrect. Ethylene oxide is used in sterilising medical equipment, but it certainly cannot be found anywhere on the swabs.

Any equipment which has undergone a final sterilisation process using ethylene oxide will come with the appropriate labelling which mentions the substance. This method of sterilisation is used in the case of items of medical equipment which cannot be sterilised by using hot or humid air. The process is strictly regulated by international standards. Such strict restrictions have been in place within the European Union regarding the use of ethylene oxide since the year 2000. Prior to that, residues of the gas could occasionally be found on sterilised equipment or the packaging for such equipment, but the process of removing the gas and the supervision of such processes are now both subject to much more strict rules. 

Ethylene oxide is used quite widely for sterilisation purposes, as it is an efficient chemical substance. Some restrictions do, however, still apply in terms of the use of the substance. For example, the packaging must be permeable by gases, and the substance must reach all of the hidden nooks and crannies of the product which is being processed. The gas is removed from the packaging around the equipment and from the surface of that equipment and packaging, as well as from inside the equipment. When this has been done, the sterilisation processes is deemed to have been completed.

This substance can be found in our daily environment. Ethylene oxide can be found in the ambient air if is contained in emissions from motor vehicles, as well as in tobacco smoke.

Any complaints concerning the tests, including information which enables the proper identification of the specific test, should be sent via the following email address: [email protected]

Further information is available at the following address: www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-eo-swabs-idUSL1N2LU1H0.