New rules issued from the federal government this week could drastically cut hazardous emissions from facilities like Sterilization Services in South Memphis.
The company uses ethylene oxide (EtO) in its Florida Street facility to sterilize medical equipment. The gas is odorless and colorless and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wasn’t aware emissions could raise cancer rates until 2016.
The EPA says EtO emissions from the facility could pose a risk to those living in the neighborhood around it. The agency held public meetings in Memphis last year to warn the residents but said there was little they could do.
Since that meeting, officials with the Shelby County Health Department (SCHD) and the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) reviewed areas around the company’s facility looking for clusters of cancer. That investigation found no heightened cases of leukemia, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, stomach cancer, and breast cancer.
Local officials said little could be done to mitigate emissions from Sterilization Services since the company was in complete compliance with current EPA rules. In January, the Memphis City Council passed a resolution asking the company to initiate voluntary measures to curb emissions. It’s unclear whether or not it did. Locals said action would only really come with new EPA rules.
Those proposed rules arrived Tuesday and the EPA said they could cut EtO emissions from facilities like Sterilization Services by up to 80 percent.
“EPA’s number-one priority is protecting people’s health and safety, and we are committed to taking decisive action that’s informed by the best available science,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “These proposals build on EPA’s extensive outreach to communities across the nation and reflect close coordination among key federal partners. Together, they would significantly reduce worker and community exposure to harmful levels of ethylene oxide.”
The EPA outlined two new proposals for 86 facilities that use EtO to bring emission levels below standards for elevated cancer risk. One would set stricter pollution controls and mandate advanced motoring methods to ensure those controls are working. The facilities would report their findings to the EPA twice a year. If the rules are approved, they would have 18 months to comply.
Another rule would introduce mitigation measures to decrease risks for workers who use EtO. It would outlaw EtO use where alternatives exist in museums, archival settings, beekeeping, the production of some cosmetics, and musical instruments. For companies like Sterilization Services, the new rule would reduce the amount of EtO it could use in sterilizing medical devices and require the use of personal protective equipment.
“This more protective standard proposed by the EPA will significantly lower emissions from Sterilization Services of Tennessee,” said Dr. Michelle Taylor, director and health officer for SCHD. “Once the new EPA rule is in effect, the health department will work with the EPA to enforce the newly adopted standard.”
SCHD has requested a public health assessment and a health consultation from the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) to identify health risks related to EtO and other chemicals in the area surrounding the Sterilization Services facility.
The EPA will host a webinar on the new rules on May 1st at 7 p.m.
For more information on EtO emissions, visit the EPA’s website.
