A person walks in front of a medical device sterilization facility in Grand Rapids, Mich. The Viant Medical facility stopped using ethylene oxide, a toxic gas, in 2019. The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday announced tougher limits on a cancer-causing gas used to sterilize medical equipment, a move aimed at helping disadvantaged communities across the country reduce their exposure to a toxic pollutant.
Some environmental and public health advocates criticized the final rule as too weak, saying it would not adequately protect low-income and minority communities that are disproportionately affected. At the same time, the medical device industry warned that the rule could disrupt the supply of safe medical equipment at hospitals and clinics nationwide.
The rule will apply to nearly 90 sterilization facilities that are owned and operated by roughly 50 companies, according to the EPA. ThoseIn response to requests from the medical technology industry, however, facilities will have significantly more time to meet the requirements. Darya Minovi, a senior analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists, an environmental group, said she was disappointed by the delayed compliance deadlines.