There is no evidence to support social media claims that water droplets testing positive for COVID-19 are proof that virus particles are in water supplies. Representatives for Abbott, a U.S. manufacturer of home COVID-19 tests, told Reuters that the tests are not being used as intended and that “other liquids have chemical properties which can cause a chemical reaction on the test strip, resulting in misleading or inaccurate results.”

An example of the claim made in a video was posted to Facebook in December 2021 and can be seen here  . 

The 30-second clip does not show the test process from beginning to end but does show the swab held in running tap water. This is instead of the six drops of “extraction reagent” specified in the kit’s instructions, seen here on FDA.gov. The video also disregards many additional Abbott guidelines, including the suggested 15-minute wait time.

A similar post (here) featuring a photo of a positive home test, bears the caption in part, “I really hope y’all don’t drink faucet water Y’all might not believe me but the water tested positive for Covid I test people every day this what I do at work.”

Reuters has previously debunked (here) claims that COVID-19 is in water supplies. In the piece, guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO) explained (here) that COVID-19 was not in drinking water due to “treatment methods” used to “neutralize infectious pathogens.”

In a statement to Reuters, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said (here), “There is no higher priority for EPA than protecting the health and safety of Americans. EPA is providing this important information about COVID-19 as it relates to drinking water and wastewater to provide clarity to the public. The COVID-19 virus has not been detected in drinking-water supplies. Based on current evidence, the risk to water supplies is low. Americans can continue to use and drink water from their tap as usual.

“EPA also encourages the public to help keep household plumbing and our nation’s water infrastructure operating properly by only flushing toilet paper. Disinfecting wipes and other items should be disposed of in the trash, not the toilet.”

Claims in December 2021 of test kits producing positive results when testing substances other than nasal secretions are not new.

Reuters investigated claims that Coca-Cola produced positive COVID-19 results in a Dec. 2020 fact-check reviewable,  here . The test manufacturer, Schnedlitz, addressed the claim by saying the test was performed incorrectly, which likely led to a false-positive result.

Schnedlitz also responded by publishing a video (here) of a COVID-19 test using Coca-Cola with the recommended method - and achieving a negative result.

Abbott, the manufacturer of the home COVID-19 tests used in multiple video claims, also points to the test not being used “as intended” as the reason for the misleading results.

In an emailed statement to Reuters, John Koval, a representative for Abbott Rapid Diagnostics, clarified that “BinaxNOW is for use with samples collected with a nasal swab inserted into a person’s nostrils. BinaxNOW is not for use with water or any other foods or liquids.” Koval added that “when used as intended, it is a highly accurate test that is helping to detect COVID-19 and can significantly improve efforts to control transmission.”

The company went on to explain, “Spreading misinformation with deliberate misuse of a medical product during a pandemic is misleading, irresponsible, and dangerous to public health. Other liquids have chemical properties which can cause a chemical reaction on the test strip, resulting in misleading or inaccurate results. Failure to follow the instructions for the test procedure and interpretation of test results may adversely affect test performance and produce misleading or invalid results. 

A video on properly self-testing with the BinaxNow test is reviewable here  .

Missing context. COVID-19 has not been detected in tap water. Online videos and photos of positive home COVID-19 results after performing the test with tap water instead of nasal secretions are not evidence that COVID-19 is in tap water.

This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here .

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays.