Industry Is Trying to Weaken Regulations on Cancer-Causing Emissions

A briefing by Earthjustice regarding the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) finalized rule to regulate carcinogenic ethylene oxide emissions from commercial sterilization facilities following legal pressure.

• The EPA has finalized a rule requiring commercial sterilization facilities to install control technology to reduce emissions from both major and minor sources, which the agency estimates could eliminate 90% of ethylene oxide emissions once implemented.
• Ethylene oxide is a known human carcinogen used for sterilizing medical equipment and dried food, as well as a base for plastics, detergents, adhesives, and antifreeze. The EPA updated the chemical's toxicity value in 2016, acknowledging it is significantly more toxic than previous estimates.
• Exposure to ethylene oxide poses severe health risks, including damage to the nervous system and increased risks of leukemia and other terminal illnesses. The EPA's latest risk assessment indicates that workers in sterilization facilities face up to a 1 in 17 lifetime cancer risk.
• The new regulations follow a lawsuit by Earthjustice after the EPA missed its Clean Air Act deadlines to revise air toxics standards for commercial sterilizers in 2014 and April 2022.
• Approximately 14 million people in Puerto Rico and the United States live within five miles of a commercial sterilizer, with facilities typically located in communities of color and low-income neighborhoods.

APA

Earthjustice (2024). Industry Is Trying to Weaken Regulations on Cancer-Causing Emissions. https://earthjustice.org/brief/2024/government-moves-to-limit-deadly-emissions

Chicago

Earthjustice. Industry Is Trying to Weaken Regulations on Cancer-Causing Emissions. 2024. https://earthjustice.org/brief/2024/government-moves-to-limit-deadly-emissions.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Earthjustice |title=Industry Is Trying to Weaken Regulations on Cancer-Causing Emissions |date=14 March 2024 |url=https://earthjustice.org/brief/2024/government-moves-to-limit-deadly-emissions |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{earthjustice2024industry, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{Industry Is Trying to Weaken Regulations on Cancer-Causing Emissions}}, institution = {Earthjustice}, year = {2024}, month = mar, url = {https://earthjustice.org/brief/2024/government-moves-to-limit-deadly-emissions}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }