Ethylene Oxide (EtO) Exposure Report Released for Public Comment

Dekalb,  Atlanta,  Georgia
Friday, November 17, 2023
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ATLANTA – Today the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a federal public health agency, released its report, Evaluation of Ethylene Oxide Concentrations in Outdoor Air near Sterigenics.

The report analyzes ethylene oxide (EtO) concentrations measured in Willowbrook, DuPage County, Illinois, from November 2018 to March 2019. Use this link to access the full report:

Health Consultation: Evaluation of Ethylene Oxide Concentrations in Outdoor Air Near Sterigenics (cdc.gov)

ATSDR will accept comments to the report until January 3, 2024.  Please address comments to: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Attn: Records Center, 4770 Buford Highway NE, MS S106-5, Atlanta, Georgia 30341 or email, atsdrrecordscenter@cdc.gov.

Also, ATSDR scientists will discuss the overall findings of the report with the community at a virtual public meeting.

WHEN:
Thursday, November 30, 2023
Time: 6:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m. (CST)

WHERE:
Virtual: Follow this link to join: ATSDR Willowbrook Public Meeting.

During the public meeting, community members and other interested individuals will have the opportunity to learn about ATSDR’s evaluation of EtO in the outdoor air near the Sterigenics facility in Willowbrook and be able to meet and talk with scientists, ask questions, and discuss their environmental public health concerns.

BACKGROUND
ATSDR’s first Health Consultation (HC) report, in 2018, evaluated the public health impacts of EtO from the Sterigenics medical sterilization facility in Willowbrook, Illinois, based on air modeling and short-term air monitoring data. In this second HC, ATSDR evaluated the health risks from breathing EtO in outdoor air near the facility by analyzing additional EtO outdoor air monitoring data that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) collected from November 2018 through March 2019. The Sterigenics facility stopped sterilization operations in February 2019 and closed the Willowbrook operation in September 2019. Prior to February 2019, Sterigenics used EtO, a cancer-causing gas, to sterilize medical products. Sterigenics is no longer creating EtO emissions.

For more information about the HC on EtO concentrations near the Sterigenics U.S., LLC medical sterilization facility in Willowbrook, Illinois, contact CDC-INFO at 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636) or visit www.cdc.gov/info or www.atsdr.cdc.gov.

OTHER ATSDR RESOURCES ON ETHYLENE OXIDE (ETO)
ATSDR Toxicological Profile for Ethylene Oxide: https://wwwn.cdc.gov/TSP/ToxProfiles/ToxProfiles.aspx?id=734&tid=133#

Clinician Overview: Ethylene Oxide: https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/emes/health_professionals/clinician-overview-ethylene-oxide.html

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ATSDR, a federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, evaluates the potential for adverse human health effects of exposure to hazardous substances in the environment.

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Page last reviewed: November 17, 2023
Content source: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry