Please stop putting COVID-19 test solution in your eyes and nose, FDA says

Enlarge / A woman takes a swab as part of a COVID-19 antigen rapid test. (credit: Getty | NurPhoto)

The Food and Drug Administration is alerting Americans to the potential dangers of at-home COVID-19 tests after receiving reports of people egregiously misusing them, resulting in injuries.

In a safety communication released Friday, the FDA said it had received reports of injuries after people used the kits' liquid test solution as eye drops or stuck the solution up their noses. "The liquid test solution is not supposed to touch your body," the FDA wrote sternly. The agency also reported that some children had been injured after putting test components in their mouths and swallowing the solution.

"The liquid solutions may include chemical ingredients, such as sodium azide, that help the test work properly or act as preservatives," the FDA wrote. "The test chemicals can be irritating or toxic if they get on your skin, nose, or eyes or if they are swallowed."

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