exactly...it is used to sterilize virtually EVERYthing in the medical field! If it is a problem on the swabs, we have a MUCH bigger problem to deal with!
I worked for a company that used ethylene oxide for a sterilant. It was ideal for sterile packaging. The product was assembled into a sealed package and then subjected to ETO exposure in a sealed compartment. The ETO would penetrate the plastic and sterilize the contents without being touched by human hands. The compartment was then evacuated. No ETO hangs around. It is not an issue for human toxic compatibility; the products were intraocular lenses and no problems were ever noted. It is foolish to get obsessed over this. There is no basis for thinking the swabs are "soaked" in ETO.
As for antifreeze, you are probably confusing it with ethylene glycol, which is a completely different chemical compound. (Not good to ingest, however.)
Ethylene Oxide is used to sterilize surgical equipment, in anti-freese etc and it was also found in some foods, so there's that
exactly...it is used to sterilize virtually EVERYthing in the medical field! If it is a problem on the swabs, we have a MUCH bigger problem to deal with!
I worked for a company that used ethylene oxide for a sterilant. It was ideal for sterile packaging. The product was assembled into a sealed package and then subjected to ETO exposure in a sealed compartment. The ETO would penetrate the plastic and sterilize the contents without being touched by human hands. The compartment was then evacuated. No ETO hangs around. It is not an issue for human toxic compatibility; the products were intraocular lenses and no problems were ever noted. It is foolish to get obsessed over this. There is no basis for thinking the swabs are "soaked" in ETO.
As for antifreeze, you are probably confusing it with ethylene glycol, which is a completely different chemical compound. (Not good to ingest, however.)