Act Now on Cancer-Causing Ethylene Oxide

Millions of people across the United States and Puerto Rico are potentially exposed to ethylene oxide, a hazardous air pollutant which is used in gas form to make other chemicals and to sterilize some medical devices and dried food products. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently engaging the public on stronger protections from the cancer-causing chemical ethylene oxide.

In 2023, the Union of Concerned Scientists mapped and analyzed some ethylene oxide facilities and found grave environmental injustice and deeply concerning hotspots where more than one sterilization facility was located within 10 miles of another, compounding the potential exposure of the nearby community. Disproportionately, these facilities are located in communities that are Black, Latine, lower-wealth, and do not speak English as a first language.

In 2022, the EPA identified 23 facilities that are posing an exposure risk that is higher than what they deem acceptable. Clearly, the regulations need substantive changes.

The good news is that the EPA has issued its long-awaited proposed rule on commercial sterilizers. In its proposed rule, we're pleased to see many of the facilities, including the smaller ones, will need to comply. However, there are many problems that still need addressing in the proposed rules, or taken a step further, in order to achieve real protections.

Now is the time to act: submit a comment to the EPA today and protect communities and workers from the invisible toxic ethylene oxide. The deadline is Monday, June 12.