PSA: Please Stop Turning COVID-19 Self-Testing Kits Into Art
By Mikelle Leow, 25 Apr 2022
Photo 233377227 © Sandi Rutar | Dreamstime.com
You could upcycle old plastic bottles and cardboard, that’s fine and all, but the line seems to be drawn at COVID-19 home testing kits. Once they’re used, they should never be seen again—not on your desk, and certainly not framed up on your wall.
This warning was made clear after a photo of an artwork containing the forbidden muse went—for the lack of a better word—viral on Thai social media. The image shows 39 used rapid antigen tests neatly packed into a picture frame.
According to national news outlet The Thaiger, the creator wanted to showcase the scope of their immunity by chronicling how long they’d survive with a negative COVID-19 test result.
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The photo was reposted by Thai medical laboratory scientist Parkpoom Dethhussadin, who warned others about reusing these test kits as art, regardless of the results. “Do not keep your [home test] collection just to prove that you survived,” the scientist urged.
He added that used tests are deemed medical waste and should be promptly disposed of, and asserted that a negative test result could still mean a minimal viral load exists in the body—and, by extension, your masterpiece of at-home tests. Locals should disinfect their devices with alcohol or detergent before getting rid of them, the scientist said.
COVID-19 home testing kits might be essential in these volatile times, but they’re also contributing to the global plastic problem. Until we find a solution, though, there’s relief in knowing that the devices only make up 0.3% of plastic waste, as estimated by a study published in the PNAS journal in November 2021.
[via Must Share News, The Thaiger, The Conversation, images via various sources]