DECATUR, Ill. (WAND)- Videos being shared online are spreading false claims of COVID-19 testing. The latest being nose swab tests contain an ingredient causing cancer.
 
We spoke with a local doctor to clear up this falsehood online. Ethylene oxide is a gas commonly used to sterilize medical equipment. While it is listed by federal agencies as a carcinogen, only a small, non-hazardous amount is used to sterilize testing kits.
 
"Large scale exposure yes certainly ethylene oxide is a carcinogen," said Doctor Ted Clark, chief medical officer at Decatur Memorial Hospital, "but the amounts used for the sterilization process of swabs is not a risk. It's been studied, evaluated and regulated- there is no risk there for cancer in nasal swabs."
 
You can also find it in the sterilization of spices and cosmetics. Doctor Clark encourages everyone to get tested if they have symptoms or have been exposed to someone infected.