Health Canada warning Canadians to properly dispose rapid tests at home
Posted February 25, 2022 7:20 pm.
Last Updated February 25, 2022 7:22 pm.
Health Canada is warning people to be careful with rapid tests at home after at least 50 calls were made to poison control centres nationwide over accidental exposure.
Dr. Baldev Sanghera is a family doctor in Burnaby and a member of the South Asian task force. He is urging Canadians to read and follow the instructions attached to the kits.
“You need to bag it up, put it in the garbage, make sure it’s out of the way,” he explained. “If you leave it on a countertop somewhere after you’ve done your tests, if you have small children in the house, they can get hold of it. Or pets can ingest it too.
“So we need to be responsible about how we use these kits. Use it for its purpose and then dispose.”
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The COVID test kits can be poisonous if swallowed or absorbed through the skin, warns the federal agency, so Sanghera adds, “only use the reagents for the purpose that they were intended for,” he said.
“They’re not intended to be ingested. They’re just used for the test. And after you’re done your test, it’s important that you take the responsibility to dispose of the remainders of the test kit appropriately.”
The federal health agency is making it clear the kits are safe and effective when they’re used properly.
With files from OMNI News
