Chuck Darwin<p>EPA curbs cancer-causing chemical used to sterilize medical devices </p><p>The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday announced tougher <a href="https://c.im/tags/limits" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>limits</span></a> on a <a href="https://c.im/tags/cancer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>cancer</span></a>-<a href="https://c.im/tags/causing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>causing</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/gas" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>gas</span></a> used to <a href="https://c.im/tags/sterilize" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>sterilize</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/medical" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>medical</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/equipment" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>equipment</span></a>, a move aimed at helping disadvantaged communities across the country reduce their exposure to a toxic pollutant.<br>
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. </p><p>At the same time, the <a href="https://c.im/tags/medical" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>medical</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/device" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>device</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/industry" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>industry</span></a> warned that the rule could disrupt the supply of safe medical equipment at hospitals and clinics nationwide.<br>
The rule targets emissions of <a href="https://c.im/tags/ethylene" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ethylene</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/oxide" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>oxide</span></a>, an odorless, colorless gas that has been linked to several types of cancer, particularly <a href="https://c.im/tags/lymphoma" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>lymphoma</span></a> and <a href="https://c.im/tags/leukemia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>leukemia</span></a>. </p><p>It illustrates the tensions between two of the Biden administration’s signature priorities: <br>promoting environmental justice and bolstering domestic supply chains.
<br>Michael Regan, the first Black man to serve as EPA administrator, has put an emphasis on curbing deadly pollution in communities of color and low-income neighborhoods. </p><p>He announced the proposed rule last year in Louisiana, where an 85-mile-long area between New Orleans and Baton Rouge is known as “<a href="https://c.im/tags/Cancer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Cancer</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Alley" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Alley</span></a>” because of numerous polluting facilities, including those that produce ethylene oxide.</p><p><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/03/14/ethylene-oxide-epa-rule/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">washingtonpost.com/climate-env</span><span class="invisible">ironment/2024/03/14/ethylene-oxide-epa-rule/</span></a></p>