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Invisible Threat, Inequitable Impact

Communities Impacted by Cancer-Causing Ethylene Oxide Pollution

Darya Minovi

Published Feb 7, 2023

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Ethylene oxide, a colorless gas known to cause cancer, is emitted by facilities that sterilize medical equipment and dried food products as well as by some chemical plants, posing a largely invisible and unrecognized threat to nearby communities.

This UCS analysis finds that two types of facilities emitting ethylene oxide are disproportionately polluting communities of color, low-income communities, and non-English language speaking communities. In addition, more than one quarter of commercial sterilizers are located in "hotspots" where nearby residents are potentially exposed to ethylene oxide emissions from more than one facility—often without their knowledge. It's a potentially dangerous situation that demands action.

You can read the report here, examine the hotspots in more detail, and also use our interactive map to find out more about the facilities emitting ethylene oxide near you.

Our activist resource page offers more information about how you can take action to urge the EPA to better protect the public from ethylene oxide emissions at commercial sterilizers and other EtO-emitting facilities by improving monitoring, reporting, and enforcement.

Read online

In this report

Story Map
A screenshot of an interactive map of the US that shows ethylene oxide emitting facilities.

Interactive Map: EtO Facilities

Using our Story Map, you can navigate to see the locations of nearly 100 commercial sterilizer facilities across the United States and Puerto Rico and learn about the threat they pose to nearby communities.
Case Study
A map of ethylene oxide-emitting facilities in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

The commonwealth of Puerto Rico bears a disproportionate burden of ethylene oxide (EtO) pollution from commercial sterilizer facilities.
Case Study
A map of ethylene oxide-emitting facilities in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota.

Minnesota

All six of Minnesota's commercial sterilizer facilities are located in the metropolitan Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
Case Study
A map of the locations of ethylene oxide-emitting facilities in Los Angeles, California.

California

Nine commercial sterilizer facilities are located in metropolitan Los Angeles, California, with two hotspots, one in Los Angeles and one in Temecula.
Case Study
A map of ethylene oxide-emitting facilities in New Jersey/Metropolitan New York City

New Jersey

Two commercial sterilizers in New Jersey—EtO Sterilization in Linden, and Steris Isomedix in South Plainfield—are located within the metropolitan New York City area.
Case Study
A map of ethylene oxide-emitting facilities in metropolitan Denver, Colorado.

Colorado

Two commercial sterilizer facilities in the metropolitan Denver, Colorado area—comprise an ethylene oxide (EtO) hotspot, standing roughly five miles apart. A third sterilizer facility is located in nearby Boulder.
Case Study
A map of ethylene oxide-emitting facilities in Atlanta, Georgia.

Georgia

Two commercial sterilizer facilities in Atlanta, Georgia—Sterigenics and Sterilization Services of Georgia—are located less than 10 miles apart.
Case Study
A map showing the locations of ethylene oxide-emitting facilities in Baltimore, Maryland.

Maryland

The two commercial sterilizer facilities in metropolitan Baltimore, located in Hanover and Jessup, stand roughly three miles apart.
Case Study
A map of ethylene oxide-emitting facilities in Memphis, Tennessee.

Memphis, Tennessee

Tennessee has two commercial sterilizer facilities that emit ethylene oxide (EtO), Sterilization Services of Tennessee in Memphis and DeRoyal Industries/Royal Sterilization in New Tazewell.
Case Study
A map of ethylene oxide-emitting facilities in Grand Prairie, Texas.

Texas

Two sterilizers—Sterigenics and Cosmed of Texas—are located less than a mile apart in Grand Prairie, Texas, roughly 25 miles east of Fort Worth.

Citation

Darya Minovi. 2023. Invisible Threat, Inequitable Impact: Communities Impacted by Cancer-Causing Ethylene Oxide Pollution. Cambridge, MA: Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/invisible-threat-inequitable-impact/

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