The government said the emissions are part and parcel of protecting people from \u201clethal or significantly debilitating infections that would result without properly sterilized medical equipment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Trump EPA is committed to ensuring life-saving medical devices remain available for the critical care of America\u2019s children, elderly, and all patients without unnecessary exposure to communities,\u201d EPA administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement.<\/p>\n
An estimated 50% of sterile medical devices in the U.S. are treated with ethylene oxide, or EtO, particularly those that can\u2019t be cleaned using steam or radiation. The colorless gas is also used to make chemicals found in products such as antifreeze, detergents, plastics and adhesives.<\/p>\n
But EtO poses health risks. Short-term exposure by inhalation can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, fatigue respiratory irritation and other adverse health effects, according to the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry<\/a>. <\/p>\n Longer-term exposure increases the risk of cancers of the white blood cells, such as non-Hodgkin lymphoma, as well as breast cancer. A now-deleted page<\/a> from the EPA\u2019s website stated, \u201cEtO is a human carcinogen. It causes cancer in humans.\u201d <\/p>\n Friday\u2019s proposal specifically targets updated rules for EtO emissions that were passed by the Biden administration in 2024 following pressure from environmental justice groups, particularly those in Louisiana\u2019s heavily industrialized \u201cCancer Alley.\u201d The change sought to reduce the amount of EtO released from commercial sterilizers by 90% and lessen the hazards for nearby communities. <\/p>\n The tighter rules were in part based on EPA\u2019s own scientific study that found it to be 60 times more carcinogenic<\/a> than previously thought, which the agency now says should be reassessed.<\/p>\n If finalized, the plan would give facilities the choice between installing continuous real-time monitoring systems for EtO emissions or complying with modified pollution control requirements at facilities that emit more than 10 tons a year, the EPA said. <\/p>\n The proposal follows other moves by the Trump administration to rescind regulations that it says are burdensome and costly for industries, such as those governing emissions from coal power plants<\/a>. Last month, the EPA repealed the endangerment finding<\/a>, which affirmed the dangers of greenhouse gas emissions and underpinned the agency\u2019s ability to regulate those emissions from vehicles. <\/p>\n The action around ethylene oxide would affect about 90 commercial sterilization facilities owned and operated by approximately 50 companies. Three California companies applied for and received presidential exemptions for their EtO emissions<\/a> last July. <\/p>\n The South Coast Air Quality Management District has issued several notices of violations to three facilities that sterilize medical equipment in Southern California for elevated concentrations of ethylene oxide, an odorless, colorless gas known to cause cancer. The facilities include Sterigenics in Vernon (center building), Sterigenics in Ontario and Parter Sterilization Services in Carson. Photographed on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022 in Vernon, CA. <\/p>\n (Myung J. Chun\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n They are located in Ontario and Vernon and operated by the company Sterigenics, which provides industrial sterilization technology for medical devices and other commercial products.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773436748_778_.jpeg\")
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