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. [Washington  Post]

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.

Ethylene oxide pollutes disadvantaged communities but is key to sterilizing medical equipment 

in hospitals and clinics nationwide

The rule targets emissions of ethylene oxide, an odorless, colorless gas that has been linked to several types of cancer, particularly lymphoma and leukemia. It illustrates the tensions between two of the Biden administration’s signature priorities: promoting environmental justice and bolstering domestic supply chains.

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