Tanouye and her neighbors in Willowbrook, Ill., soon learned that a medical sterilization plant in their area was emitting a toxic chemical called ethylene oxide (EtO).
EtO is used in sterilization, including for medical devices as well as spices. It's also a carcinogen, having been linked to white blood cell and breast cancer. Animal studies have also linked it to brain cancer.
Tanouye and other community members formed a group aimed at shutting down the plant. Eventually they did so, though the company behind the plant says it "did not pose a safety risk to the community."
Yet the issue is broader than just one facility or company.
Last year, the EPA said communities near 23 sterilization plants have elevated cancer risks. That list included locations in populous cities like Memphis, Tenn., and Laredo, Texas.
Tanouye says she sees what happened in her community as something of a test case for how the issue will play out in the coming years.
The chemicals industry says the substance isn't going away — EtO may be the only effective sterilizing agent for some medical devices, according to some government websites — though the EPA could soon make a change. The agency is scheduled to propose a new rule next month that could strengthen pollution limits for EtO.
In the meantime, activists in communities with active facilities are still fighting for change.
"Our goal is to reduce the outrageous amount of emissions coming from Midwest and … mimic policy that was passed in the state of Illinois that brought down emissions," said Sheila Serna, climate science and policy director at the Rio Grande International Study Center.
Read the full story at TheHill.com.
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