EPA proposes limits on cancer-causing gas used to sterilize medical equipment

By Shannon Kelleher and Grace van Deelen

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Tuesday proposed new standards to protect workers and communities from exposure to ethylene oxide, a toxic gas used to sterilize medical equipment and some spices. The agency estimates the new health protections could cut commercial facilities’ emissions of the colorless cancer-causing gas by 80% per year.

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