BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – The federal government recently launched a program to send millions of at-home COVID tests to Americans. The tests are free and convenient, but the problem lies with the weather conditions they were delivered in.

Justin Simons the CEO of My Labs Direct joined First News at Four to explain how the cold weather could affect the accuracy of the at-home COVID tests.

The big concern according to Simons, is that the way these tests are manufactured, they need to be maintained at a certain temperature, “both for transport and when we’re holding them in our homes.” He explains that falling outside of that “optimal [temperature] range could obviously impact the accuracy of the test.” Outside the optimal range is below 39 degrees and above 86 degrees Fahrenheit. The concern is that these tests may have been delivered during the February winter storm and left in a cold mailbox, making them go bad.

While it’s hard to tell if the test has been damaged, if a test has been sitting out in the cold, it’s a safe bet that it should be replaced. Simons also advises that if someone’s test comes back inconclusive, they should get a different test.

Simon recommends storing these tests in the bathroom or somewhere else where they will be at room temperature. This will allow their self-life to be preserved for as long as two years.

Watch the full interview in the player above.

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