Moylan Backs Legislation to Ban Ethylene Oxide Sterilization in Illinois

DES PLAINES, Ill. – State Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, has sponsored a measure to prohibit Ethylene Oxide Sterilization (EtO) in Illinois in response to increased concern about the health risks facilities dealing with the chemical have on local families.

“The gas Ethylene Oxide (EtO) has proven to be dangerous to our communities, with an obvious increase in people being diagnosed with cancer and health difficulties in the areas surrounding facilities using EtO,” said Moylan. “This dangerous chemical ends up in our air and water and ends up poisoning nearby communities.”

Earlier this year, EtO user Sterigenics was forced to stop production at a facility in Willowbrook because of a failure to meet specific environmental standards. Recent studies suggested that proximity to EtO increases an individual’s chances of being diagnosed with cancer, and local  scrutiny from neighborhood groups eventually led to pressure to close the facility.

Steringenics is only one out of 26 companies in Illinois that use EtO. Most of the other facilities are in Lake County, and Moylan has expressed concern that the poisonous chemical could leak into the Des Plaines River and run south through Des Plaines in his district. As a result, Moylan has sponsored House Bill 3888 to ban the use of EtO in Illinois facilities.

“We need to protect our environment from dangerous chemicals like EtO,” said Moylan. “Particularly in residential areas where families are being raised, we need to be vigilant and remove dangers.”