December 13, 2022
GROVELAND, Fla. (December 13, 2022) – On Thursday, December 15, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will host a virtual public meeting to share information about ethylene oxide (EtO) emissions and risk information impacting Groveland, Fla.
EPA is reaching out to communities facing the highest risks from commercial sterilizer facilities that use EtO, including the International Sterilization Laboratory, which is located near central Florida in Lake County. The facility began operations in the 1990s and is a contract sterilizer of medical equipment.
The facility is equipped with wet scrubbers to remove EtO from its sterilization chambers and aeration rooms exhaust. The facility is evaluating plans to reduce the amount of EtO needed for certain sterilization cycles. There has been no recent expansion of control equipment, but the facility is evaluating how to improve its operations to control fugitive emissions.
EPA is sharing this information because communities have a right to know about emissions that could affect their health and well-being.
Community Meeting: 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Participate by phone: Call in number: (669) 254-5252; Webinar ID: 1616421648
Register to participate online via Zoom:
https://www.epa.gov/hazardous-air-pollutants-ethylene-oxide/forms/groveland-florida-international-sterilization
BACKGROUND
EPA has regulated EtO emissions for 30 years, however in 2016, new scientific information revealed that EtO is more toxic than previously understood. This prompted EPA to conduct nationwide analyses and intensive data collection, which has revealed that certain communities near commercial sterilizers could have elevated cancer risks due to lifetime exposures to EtO. Please visit www.epa.gov/eto for additional information, including a link to view EPA’s August 10th National Public Webinar, location-specific maps, information about individual commercial sterilizers, and health risks for residents and workers.
For more information about EtO in Groveland, please visit: www.epa.gov/eto/groveland.
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