Sterilizing medical equipment is essential for modern healthcare, but the process generates a substantial public health risk. The key culprit is the chemical ethylene oxide, which is both a highly effective fumigator and a potent carcinogen. The Environmental Protection Agency revealed the shocking extent of the pollutant's toxicity in 2016, but it has not proposed comprehensive regulation of the chemical until now.
This week, the EPA proposed a rule that promises to reduce annual ethylene oxide emissions by at least 19 tons a year — an 80 percent reduction from current levels. The proposal builds on a separate set of rules that the agency passed earlier this month to curb ethylene oxide releases from certain types of chemical plants.
