This map of Richmond, Virginia, shows the EPA’s estimated cancer risk for the area surrounding Sterilization Services of Virginia’s EtO plant. [Image courtesy of the EPA]
The EPA today identified nearly two dozen U.S. cities where commercial sterilizers using ethylene oxide (EtO) contribute to an elevated cancer risk for residents of surrounding communities.EtO is used on about 20 billion medical devices each year — or about half of all sterile medical devices — and in some cases it’s the only option. The FDA is seeking safer ways to use EtO and alternative means of sterilization in an effort to reduce EtO emissions due to its cancer risk, particularly blood cancers and breast cancer.
“Exposure over the course of a lifetime (24 hours a day for 70 years) to EtO at concentrations expected to be found near some commercial sterilizers can increase a person’s risk of developing cance…