EPA tightens limits on a chemical used to sterilize medical equipment, citing cancer risk

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is imposing stricter limits on a chemical used to sterilize medical equipment after finding a higher-than-expected cancer risk at facilities that use ethylene oxide to clean billions of devices including catheters and syringes.

A rule finalized Thursday will reduce ethylene oxide emissions by about 90% by targeting nearly 90 commercial sterilization facilities across the country, the EPA said. The companies will also have to test for the antimicrobial chemical in the air and make sure their pollution controls are working properly.

The new rule will “safeguard public health from this pollution – including the health of children, who are particularly vulnerable to carcinogens early in life,’' said EPA Administrator Michael Regan. “We’ve arrived at a historically strong rule that will protect the most exposed communities from toxic air pollution while also ensuring… safeguards (to) our nation’s critical supply of sterilized medical equipment.”

The American Lung Association called the rule an important step forward to protect human health from cancer caused by ethylene oxide emissions.

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