For years, conversations around ethylene oxide (EtO) have centered on the sterilization plants themselves, and how to monitor air quality to ensure the surrounding community and workers are safe since EtO is a deadly carcinogen.
What has been discussed far less is the potentially toxic breadcrumb trail EO leaves throughout the supply chain, long after the sterilization facility.
The Overlooked Footprint Beyond the Plant
Products treated with EtO can continue to off-gas long after leaving the sterilization facility, releasing the chemical as they move through storage, trucking, and distribution networks — all of which face little to no regulatory oversight. Workers in these environments, including truck drivers and warehouse staff, have raised exposure concerns in several states, with limited federal response to date.
Most recently, the El Paso Matters published an article, “Breast cancer, dizziness, headaches: El Paso residents question warehouse’s toxic emissions’ health impact”, which describes residents who live near a local medical device distribution warehouse and are now reporting unexplained health issues they believe could be linked to ethylene oxide exposure.
Legal Action Expands Beyond the Sterilizer
While sterilization facilities are heavily regulated and have already faced lawsuits over EtO emissions, the broader logistics network that stores and transports sterilized goods remains largely unexamined. If off-gassing in these environments is confirmed, it could expose not only workers and communities to risk but also expand the scope of potential legal liability across the entire sterilization supply chain.
In Georgia, a lawsuit filed in Cobb County alleged that 53 current and former warehouse workers, along with several family members, suffered illnesses or death caused by ethylene oxide exposure while working at a ConMed warehouse in Lithia Springs. The complaint states that sterilized products from a nearby Sterigenics facility were shipped before they had properly aerated, transported in unmarked and unequipped trucks, and then stored in a warehouse without adequate ventilation. The defendants include ConMed, Sterigenics, and their parent companies, along with several individual managers. Watch this in-depth video by Atlanta News First for more details.
A Turning Point for the Industry
Today, nearly half of all medical devices in the United States are sterilized with ethylene oxide. That reliance cannot change overnight, but it’s also evident that the challenges tied to EtO appear to be mounting, rather than easing. The process carries growing risks to workers, nearby communities, and manufacturers themselves as lawsuits, regulatory pressure, and public scrutiny increase.
As we have written before – EO’s extremely high performance as a penetrative and effective sterilant cuts both ways – it’s difficult to contain and presents an insidious, long-term cancer risk. Make no mistake – at least half of the sterilization industry “grew up” on EO.
But we are more sophisticated now – both in our ability to understand the community impact of EO as well as our ability to use safer sterilization modalities. Now is the time to begin transitioning toward these more sustainable sterilization technologies to protect both people and the environment.
At NextBeam, we provide precise, efficient, and reliable E-Beam sterilization with quick turnaround and transparent support. Schedule a short call with our team and in 30 minutes (or less) you can get a good sense of whether E-Beam can help you improve your business.
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