Final EtO Amendments Aimed at Reducing Emissions by 90 Percent

Two weeks past its deadline, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its final amendments to the air toxics standards for ethylene oxide (EtO) commercial sterilization facilities, calling the additions “the strongest measures in U.S. history to reduce emissions of EtO, one of the most potent cancer-causing chemicals.”

EtO is the most widely used gaseous sterilization agent in the world, employed to sterilize roughly 50 percent of reusable medical devices in the U.S. today — about 20 billion items annually. In 2016, the EPA concluded that EtO emissions are carcinogenic.

Said the EPA, the new amendments require sterilization facilities to install “proven and achievable air pollution controls” that limit how much EtO is released into outside air. Compliance with the new amendments will reduce emissions by more than 90 percent.

Read more about the EPA’s final amendments to strengthen air toxics standards for EtO commercial sterilizers here.

To read the whole story, click here to subscribe.

Related Topics