MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The air quality in the South Memphis neighborhood of Mallory heights has residents and activists furious at the risk it poses to the health of a predominantly Black community.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said a chemical called ethylene oxide has been present in the air around Sterilization Services of Tennessee’s building since the 1970s. According to the Union for Concerned Scientists, it has led to 82% of cancer in Mallory Heights.
The risk of cancer in this area is four times higher than the national average.
It’s been over half a year since this has come to the public’s attention, but not much seems to have been done about Sterilization Services of Tennessee’s practices.
People have been demanding faster action from local officials for months now, and they are fed up with how long it’s been taking to reduce emissions.
Memphis and Shelby county leaders agree, but they say they’re hands are tied because of the federal government.
According to the Shelby County Health Department, while they do have the ability to enforce the clean air act by the EPA, Sterilization Services of Tennessee do meet the current regulations for ethylene oxide emissions.
Still, some people aren’t buying this and say something still needs to be done now
In fact there’s an ordinance ready to go, according to Justin Pearson, the District 86 State Representative.
“You can look at section 9-12 a and 9-12 b of our municipal code that empowers the shelby county health department to do something when there’s an imminent threat,” Pearson said. “60 times more cancerous? That is more more imminent a threat to public health as I have ever heard.”
The Health Department does say that the EPA is working to expand the regulations for the Clean Air Act to reduce the ethylene oxide emissions in places like South Memphis.
Still, it is not known when that will be able to take place.
The health department says once it is, the department will enforce those regulations as quickly as possible.
In the meantime, emissions haven’t stopped and too much exposure to it can cause cancer, which has unfortunately been the case for several Memphians living in the Mallory Heights neighborhood.
