For months, there have been many people sounding the alarm over the at-home Covid-19 rapid test, saying that the kits include toxic substances that pose health risks – something that has been widely condemned by the establishment as a wild conspiracy theory.
Well, just like with most everything else these days, the difference between wild right wing conspiracy and fact simply comes down to a matter of time.
Now, even public health officials can’t ignore the dangers posed by these tests.
Earlier this month, the Ohio Poison Control Center issued a nationwide warning about Covid-19 rapid antigen tests after toxicology experts found the kits include a dangerous and toxic substance that is used most commonly in car airbags and pest control chemicals.
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The poisonous substance in these test kits is called Sodium Azide, which has a “high” acute toxicity and can be fatal to humans in cases of overexposure, according to Stanford Medical. The presence of this toxic substance was apparently only found by Poison Control researchers after the winter wave of Omicron, which saw many Americans testing at home with the kits.
Following this uptick in at-home testing, according to WHIO TV7, drug and poison centers across the country experienced a large increase in cases involving Sodium Azide, which prompted the Ohio Poison Control to issue their warning.
The liquid Sodium Azide is located within the extraction tube inside the kits and the substance is colorless tasteless and odorless.
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital toxicologist Dr. Sheila Goertemoeller, who is a member of the Ohio Poison Control Center, spoke with WHIO7 about the agency’s decision to issue the nationwide warning. She explained that the other 54 Poison Centers in America have seen a similar upswing in Sodium Azide poisonings, amounting to “more than a couple hundred” across the country as of late.
Goertemoeller also admitted that her colleagues were “surprised” and “concerned” that such a highly toxic substance is being used in the test kits.
Nearly 60 million people have already received a free at-home Covid test from the Biden administration, most of which were passed out this winter, according to WHIO7 News.
From WHO7:
“Ohio poison control centers are sounding the alarm surrounding a liquid substance called Sodium Azide found in some at home testing covid testing kits that could be toxic to children as well as adults if used incorrectly.
‘Our toxicology community has been both surprised that this was the ingredient in some of the kits, and also concerned. We have seen exposure in all age groups,’ [Goertemoeller said.]
‘We are one of 55 poison control centers and nationwide other poison centers have been reporting a similar finding and there have been more than a couple of hundred exposures nationwide to Sodium Azide in test kits,’ [Goertemoeller explained.]
As WHIO7 points out, there have even been some adults who end up using the toxic liquid to swab the inside of their nose because they did not follow the instructions on the package, so if you have these kits at home, use caution – or better yet, throw them away.
WATCH:
Poison control issues warning about Covid-19 rapid antigen tests.
If ever there was a ‘told you so’ moment… pic.twitter.com/kyLoL4WD5k
— TheNo1Waffler (@TheNo1Waffler) March 30, 2022
Due to the presence of the toxic chemical, doctors are now advising parents to keep the kits out of reach of children. In addition, when testing children for Covid at home, it’s recommended that parents make sure they are supervised in order to avoid any adverse side effects from exposure to the substance.
The main side effects of exposure to Sodium Azide include lowered blood pressure, headache, hypothermia, and in the case of serious overexposure, convulsions, and death. Ingestion of 100 to 200 mg in humans may result in headache, respiratory distress, and diarrhea, according to Stanford Medical.
