今天，美国.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its final rule to limit emissions of the invisible and carcinogenic gas 环氧乙烷 (EtO) from facilities that sterilize medical equipment and some dried food products.
Nearly 14 million people live within five miles of an EtO-emitting sterilization facility, 根据… 2023年的研究 忧思617888九五至尊娱乐家联盟(UCS), and these areas show an elevated risk of cancer for people living nearby.
The final rule tightens emissions limits at commercial sterilizers, significantly reducing the risk of 环氧乙烷 exposure for 517888九五至尊娱乐ers and communities around these facilities. This long-overdue rule is an important step toward reducing the harms of 环氧乙烷, 根据UCS.
Below is a statement by Darya Minovi, senior analyst for the Center for 617888九五至尊娱乐与517888九五至尊娱乐 at UCS.
“太久了, communities across the country—especially Black and Brown people and those who do not speak English as a first language—have been exposed to the cancer-causing chemical 环氧乙烷. EPA’s own research has shown for nearly a decade how dangerous 环氧乙烷 is, 今天, 环保署终于采取了行动.
“Make no mistake—politically powerful industries sought to weaken the rule’s health-protective standards, but the public health benefits that will be afforded to communities through this action are a testament to the efforts of grassroots advocates and public health experts who didn’t let up in their demands. 环保局的职责 听 受影响的社区，并遵循 现有的最佳617888九五至尊娱乐 是517888九五至尊娱乐规则制定过程的关键吗.
“While the rule is critical to safeguarding the health of the people who live, 517888九五至尊娱乐, and recreate around sterilization facilities, there are also areas where it falls short of the requests made by countless community members and advocates. 例如, EPA extended the timeline by which companies must comply with these regulations and removed a proposal to require sterilization facilities to obtain Title V permits, which provide an additional layer of accountability and public participation requirements.
“战斗还没有结束. Sterilizers are a significant source of 环氧乙烷, 但不是唯一一个, and EPA has more 517888九五至尊娱乐 ahead in limiting the harms of this dangerous chemical. We’ll continue to push EPA to ensure proper monitoring and enforcement so that this rule succeeds in reducing 环氧乙烷 pollution and protecting public health.”