#Trump #EPA Moves to Weaken Limits on a #Cancer Causing #Gas
The gas, #EthyleneOxide, plays a crucial role in sterilizing medical devices. But long-term exposure is linked to several types of cancer & other ailments.
#law #EnvironmentalLaw #regulations #health #PublicHealth #safety
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/13/climate/epa-ethylene-oxide-cancer.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
The move revived a long-running debate about the paradoxical effects of #EthyleneOxide on #PublicHealth. While it plays a crucial role in sterilizing lifesaving medical devices like pacemakers & syringes, long-term exposure can cause #leukemia & other types of #cancer among people who #work in or #live near medical sterilization facilities.
#Trump #EPA #law #EnvironmentalLaw #regulations #health #safety
The agency’s proposed rule would loosen limits on #EthyleneOxide #emissions from around 90 commercial sterilization facilities across the country. Roughly 2.3 million people live within two miles of these facilities in what are often #LowIncome neighborhoods or #CommunitiesOfColor, according to an analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists, an environmental group.
#Trump #EPA #law #EnvironmentalLaw #GeographicInequality #regulations #health #PublicHealth #safety
…inhaling the gas can cause coughing, dizziness, fatigue & nausea. Long-term exposure can damage the #brain & central nervous system & can increase the risk of breast #cancer, #leukemia, #lymphoma & other #cancers of the white blood cells.
The #EPA first classified #EthyleneOxide as a human #carcinogen in 2016. The agency based the determination on studies showing that the gas was 60 times more toxic to children & 30 times more toxic to adults than previously thought.
…“This administration is systematically looking for ways to let polluters off the hook,” Sarah Buckley, a senior atty at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said… “If this abuse of authority is left unchecked, communities will pay the price in higher #cancer risks.”
…The #EPA will solicit public comments on the proposed rule for 45 days after its publication in the Federal Register. The agency will then finalize the rule, likely within the year.
Nonilex
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