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.)
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.)