May 2023
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Inside the May Issue |
New Standards to Protect Public Health, Reduce Exposure to Ethylene Oxide Pollution
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing
new health protections to reduce exposure to Ethylene Oxide
(EtO), including more stringent air emissions standards and additional
protections for workers who are exposed to the gas used
to sterilize medical devices and certain spices. If finalized,
EPA’s proposals are estimated to cut EtO emissions to the air
from commercial sterilization facilities by 80 percent per year
and apply more protective standards to control those emissions
under the law. Together, these proposals will provide a comprehensive
approach to addressing EtO pollution concerns, including
cancer risk, that will increase safety in communities and
for workers while providing a path to maintain a robust supply
chain for sterilized medical equipment.
“EPA’s number one priority is protecting people’s health
and safety, and we are committed to taking decisive action
that’s informed by the best available science,” said EPA Administrator
Michael S. Regan. “These proposals build on
EPA’s extensive outreach to communities across the nation
and reflects close coordination among key federal partners.
Together they would significantly reduce worker and community
exposure to harmful levels of ethylene oxide. EPA
will continue to use every available tool to safeguard our nation’s
communities, including workers, from exposure to toxic
chemicals and to deliver important public health protections.”
The two new proposals announced mark significant progress
as EPA continues to leverage the full range of its regulatory
authority under the law to protect public health by reducing the
risk posed by EtO. Long-term exposure to EtO over the course
of a 35-year career or 70-year lifetime in or near a commercial
sterilizer can increase the risk of certain types of cancer. People
who go to school near places where EtO is used are also potentially at an elevated risk of cancer due to EtO levels in the
air. Actual risks will vary based upon a facility’s control measures
for workers and community members and the distance
and amount of time people live, work, or go to school near a
facility.
New Safeguards to Protect Workers,
Communities, and Reduce Exposure
In addition to new emissions standards, EPA is proposing a
comprehensive set of new mitigation measures that will decrease
risk for workers who use EtO to sterilize products and for other
people in communities near sterilization facilities.
Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
(FIFRA), EPA approves the use of pesticides subject to certain
controls through a registration decision, including antimicrobial
pesticides like EtO.
Some commercial sterilization facilities have already successfully implemented some of these measures, including reducing the amount of EtO used for sterilization and installing engineering controls that reduce worker and community exposures. Full story »
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