We’ve now received a response on this from UK Peer of the Realm Lord Bethell. Despite the urgency, this has taken two months:
All previous links can be found here:
Ethylene Oxide Inside Children’s Covid19 Rapid Antigen Lateral Flow Test Kits
OFFICIAL
Dear Paul,
Many thanks for your email, copied below for information.
Lateral flow tests have been rigorously tested and are safe to use on a regular basis. Any suggestion otherwise is inaccurate and harmful misinformation.
Ethylene oxide is only used in the sterilisation of swabs and it is one of the most commonly used sterilisation tools in the healthcare industry, principally applied by manufacturers to keep medical devices safe. Any traces of ethylene oxide remaining in the lateral flow device or packaging after sterilisation are below limits that would be considered hazardous for health and comply with international standards. The types of devices that are sterilized with ethylene oxide range from devices used in general health care practices (for example, wound dressings) to more specialized devices that are used inside the body. The manufacturers have confirmed that *1-2ug/g of ethylene oxide is used in the swabs, which is well within national/international safety standards.
Kind regards,
Stephen
Stephen Flanagan – Senior Health Protection Practitioner
Cheshire and Merseyside Health Protection Team
Public Health England North West
Tel: +44 (0)344 225 0562
www.gov.uk/phe Follow us on twitter @PHE_uk
Protecting and improving the nation’s health
Patient identifiable information and other confidential / sensitive information should not be sent to this email address unless from another PHE email account. Please contact me to make arrangements if such information needs to be exchanged.
*Wirral In It Together. OUR ANNOTATION. 1-2 µG/G is equivalent to 1-2 ppm or parts per million. However this assertion – like all the others peppering this email – has to be taken on trust because Mr Flanagan hasn’t backed himself up, opting instead to use several unevidenced assertions. Nowhere is there any evidence derived from the specific official standards applicable to these Lateral Flow Rapid Antigen testing swabs / testing kits. So we’re still in the dark on this. Our forthcoming response will seek further information in this area.
From: Paul Cardin / Wirral In It Together <gorkys611@googlemail.com>
Sent: 25 March 2021 21:47
To: candmHPU <candmHPU@phe.gov.uk>
Subject: Cancer-causing ethylene oxide inside children’s Covid19 test kits
Dear Public Health England (North West),
Your name was helpfully passed to me on 23rd March by Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx when I raised with her via email the above pressing issue as a concerned parent.
In order to hasten the process and to avoid repetition, please proceed to the following two web links in order to appraise yourself of the details under discussion here:
On the face of it, the threat to children appears to be very serious, but thus far has neither been acknowledged nor acted upon directly, nor given the level of importance it warrants.
I would be most grateful if you could contact me as soon as possible with your proposals,
Many thanks,
Paul Cardin
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances/ethylene-oxide
Major UK Lateral Flow Test Provider Under Fire From FDA, Alleged US Regulator:
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Please share the email of Stephen Flanagan – Senior Health Protection Practitioner – Public Health England. I would like to write back to him that his reply is unacceptable. ANY AMOUNT of Carcinogenic chemical inserted into the blood brain barrier is DANGEROUS. To tell us otherwise is negligent.
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Hi Chris, I’ve now added the email to the main body of the post. It’s candmHPU@phe.gov.uk.
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Please see this article – Cotton is especially absorbent and will retain Ethylene Oxide. We have been told many times by BIG PHARMA that things are safe, and they turn out to be the opposite. Schools should be put on notice to inform all parents that the nasal tests contain Ethylene Oxide. https://www.steris-ast.com/techtip/overview-ethylene-oxide-residuals/
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Is there a Material Safety Data Sheet a available for this product?
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I’m not sure, Ross. This is the first reference I’ve seen to it, after doing quite a lot of research. I’m sure it must exist, but none of my official correspondents have referred to it.
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