These warehouses are often located in residential neighborhoods, exposing nearby residents to dangerous levels of ethylene oxide. The chemical is a known carcinogen and can cause a range of health issues, from respiratory problems to cancer. Yet, many residents are unaware of the risks they face living near these facilities.
In the case of Vanessa Dominguez and her family, their idyllic home in Ranchos del Sol turned out to be a source of toxic pollution. The Cardinal Health warehouse located just behind their property was emitting high levels of ethylene oxide, putting them at risk of exposure. The bustling activity of trucks coming and going from the facility was a constant background noise to their daily lives.
The Dominguez family, like many others living near similar warehouses, experienced health issues that they later attributed to ethylene oxide exposure. The chemical is a silent threat, often going unnoticed until symptoms appear. The lack of awareness about the dangers of these facilities is a major concern, as residents are unknowingly putting themselves at risk by simply living in close proximity to them.
Grist’s investigation into these warehouses sheds light on the widespread issue of ethylene oxide emissions in communities across the country. The presence of these facilities in residential areas highlights the need for stricter regulations and oversight to protect public health. Residents like Vanessa Dominguez and her family deserve to live in a safe environment, free from the harmful effects of toxic chemicals.
As more attention is brought to the issue, hopefully, steps will be taken to address the risks posed by ethylene oxide emissions from medical device warehouses. The health and well-being of residents should be a top priority, and measures must be put in place to ensure that they are not unknowingly exposed to dangerous pollutants in their own neighborhoods. The use of ethylene oxide in sterilization facilities has raised concerns about the potential health risks for workers and communities near these facilities. While companies are required to report to state or federal regulators about the use of ethylene oxide, the information about these facilities is not readily available to the public. This lack of transparency has led to a laborious process of identifying warehouses that store products sterilized with ethylene oxide and may emit this harmful gas.
Grist reporters went to great lengths to identify some of these warehouses, including staking out sterilization facilities, speaking to truck drivers and warehouse workers, and combing through property databases. The process revealed that there are likely many more warehouses emitting ethylene oxide than the 30 that have been confirmed. This poses a significant risk to workers who may be unknowingly exposed to this dangerous gas.
One such warehouse is operated by Cardinal Health in El Paso, Texas. Cardinal Health employs a largely Latino workforce at this warehouse, where workers are required to wear monitors and keep windows and vents open for circulation. However, many of these workers are unaware of the risks associated with ethylene oxide exposure. This lack of awareness is concerning, as ethylene oxide can have serious health effects, including respiratory issues and cancer.
Cardinal Health’s operations extend across the U.S.-Mexico border, with products being trucked to and from Mexico for sterilization with ethylene oxide. The off-gassing of ethylene oxide from these products during transportation and storage poses a risk to workers and nearby communities. Despite regulations by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on sterilization facilities, warehouses storing sterilized products are often overlooked and may pose a greater risk of ethylene oxide emissions.
The lack of oversight and transparency surrounding ethylene oxide emissions from warehouses is a cause for concern. More needs to be done to protect workers and communities from the potential health risks associated with this harmful gas. Companies like Cardinal Health should take steps to ensure the safety of their employees and the surrounding areas where their operations take place. Additionally, state and federal regulators should increase monitoring and enforcement to prevent further exposure to ethylene oxide in warehouses. This study found that workers exposed to ethylene oxide faced a higher risk of developing cancers, including lymphoid and breast cancer. The risk was particularly elevated for workers who had been exposed to higher concentrations of the chemical over longer periods of time. The EPA concluded that ethylene oxide was far more dangerous than previously believed and that stricter regulations were needed to protect public health.
Despite this new information, Cardinal Health continued to emit ethylene oxide into the air without adequate safeguards in place. The company’s lax approach to monitoring and controlling emissions put workers at risk, as well as residents living near its facilities. The off-gassing of ethylene oxide from trucks and warehouses created a potential health hazard for those in the surrounding communities. The lack of transparency and accurate data in Cardinal Health’s permit applications only served to exacerbate the problem.
In response to growing concerns about ethylene oxide emissions, environmental advocates and community members have called for stricter regulations and better oversight of facilities that use the chemical. The EPA has faced pressure to take action to protect public health and hold companies like Cardinal Health accountable for their emissions. The need for more accurate monitoring and reporting of ethylene oxide emissions is clear, as is the need for stronger regulations to prevent further harm to workers and nearby residents.
As the medical supply chain continues to rely on ethylene oxide for sterilization, it is crucial that companies take their responsibility to protect public health seriously. The risks associated with ethylene oxide exposure are well-documented, and failure to address these risks could have serious consequences for workers and communities. It is time for companies like Cardinal Health to prioritize the health and safety of those affected by their operations and take meaningful steps to reduce ethylene oxide emissions. The company had recently purchased a third warehouse in El Paso, just a few blocks from where Dominguez lived. This new facility, according to the company’s permit application, would emit an additional 1,000 pounds of ethylene oxide annually. Concerned about the impact this expansion would have on her family’s health, Dominguez began researching the chemical and its effects on human health.
What she discovered was alarming. Ethylene oxide, a known carcinogen, has been linked to an increased risk of cancer, respiratory issues, and neurological problems. Studies have shown that even low levels of exposure to the chemical can have serious health consequences, particularly for children and pregnant women. Dominguez was shocked to learn that her family had been exposed to such high levels of ethylene oxide for years without their knowledge.
Determined to protect her family and her community, Dominguez reached out to local environmental groups and advocacy organizations. Together, they launched a campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of ethylene oxide and to push for stricter regulations on its use and emissions. They organized community meetings, circulated petitions, and met with local and state officials to demand action.
Their efforts paid off. In 2022, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) announced new regulations on ethylene oxide emissions, requiring companies like Cardinal Health to reduce their emissions and implement stricter safety measures. The agency’s toxicologists had determined that the chemical was 30 times more toxic to adults and 60 times more toxic to children than previously known, prompting the new regulations.
For Dominguez, the new regulations were a small victory in a long battle for environmental justice. She knew that there was still much work to be done to protect her family and her community from the dangers of ethylene oxide, but she was determined to continue fighting for a healthier and safer future for all. In 2023, Cardinal Health, a medical supply company, applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for an updated permit in order to expand its operations. The company expected to receive nearly four times as many trucks carrying sterilized products at a warehouse across town from Dominguez, potentially up to 10,000 trucks a year. However, the increased truck traffic raised concerns about the potential emissions of ethylene oxide, a highly toxic chemical.
Cardinal Health relied on a 2013 experiment to estimate the facility’s emissions, simply multiplying the concentration by the new maximum number of trucks the facility would be permitted to receive. The company estimated that the warehouse across town would increase its emissions to 1,000 pounds of ethylene oxide per year. Additionally, the company estimated that the medical equipment inside the warehouse would off-gas 637 pounds of ethylene oxide every year, but claimed that these emissions were insignificant and could be excluded from permitting requirements under Texas state law.
Ron Sahu, a mechanical engineer and consultant, criticized the company’s approach, stating that the exceptions for minimal emissions were not meant for highly toxic compounds like ethylene oxide. Cardinal Health surveyed facilities around the country emitting comparable amounts of ethylene oxide and found two sterilizers in Texas that use equipment to reduce emissions by 99 percent. However, the company deemed these options as cost excessive and decided to simply restrict the number of trucks unloading sterilized products instead.
Despite detailed questions from Grist, TCEQ granted Cardinal Health’s new permit in 2023. Around the same time, there was a growing movement to have stricter oversight of ethylene oxide emissions across the country. Individuals in Lakewood, Colorado, filed lawsuits related to ethylene oxide exposure, while the EPA proposed regulations to reduce emissions from sterilizers. However, the draft rule did not include off-site warehouses, leading to advocacy efforts to strengthen the regulations.
In March 2024, the EPA released the final rule, which still did not include off-site warehouses or mandatory air monitoring. While the regulations acknowledged the issue of off-site warehouses and indicated the agency’s intention to collect information about them, advocates felt that more should have been done. Daniel Savery from Earthjustice expressed disappointment with the EPA’s response, highlighting the need for stronger regulations to protect communities from ethylene oxide exposure.
Cardinal Health’s warehouse in east El Paso, located near a residential neighborhood, remains a focal point for potential ethylene oxide emissions and the need for stricter oversight of hazardous chemicals in the medical supply industry.
