Federal EPA moves to roll back recent limits on ethyene oxide, a carcinogen

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The Trump administration on Friday moved to roll back Biden-era limits on emissions of ethylene oxide, a cancer-causing chemical often used in the sterilization of medical devices.The Environmental Protection Agency said repealing the rules, which fall under the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants, would “safeguard the supply of essential medical equipment” — saving approximately $630 million for companies over 20 years.

California is home to about a dozen such facilities.The government said the pollution is an inevitable part of protecting people from “lethal or significantly debilitating infections that would result without properly sterilized medical equipment,” arguing that the technology does not readily exist to meet the more stringent rules.

“The Trump EPA is committed to ensuring life-saving medical devices remain available for the critical care of America’s children, elderly, and all patients without unnecessary exposure to communities,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement.Climate & Environment Three sterilization facilities in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties have been granted EPA exemptions to emit cancer-linked ethylene oxide.Supporters of the Biden rule reject that argument and say companies could have complied using existing technology and that the public was not at risk of losing sterilized equipment.

An estimated 50% of sterile medical devices in the U.S.are treated with ethylene oxide, or EtO, particularly those that can’t be cleaned using steam or radiation.

The colorless gas is also used to make chemicals found in products such as antifreeze, detergents, plastics and adhesives.EtO poses health risks.Short-term exposure by inhalation can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, fatigue respiratory irritation and other adverse health effects, according to the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Dis...