[News] US EPA proposes easing ethylene oxide emission standards
Summary
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed changes to rollback safeguards against air emissions of ethylene oxide (EtO), a highly carcinogenic gas used to sterilise about half of all medical devices in the USA. Announced March 17, 2026, the proposed changes would, among other things, relax round-the-clock emissions monitoring requirements for about 90 commercial sterilisation facilities.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed changes to rollback safeguards against air emissions of ethylene oxide (EtO), a highly carcinogenic gas used to sterilise about half of all medical devices in the USA. Announced March 17, 2026, the proposed changes would, among other things, relax round-the-clock emissions monitoring requirements for about 90 commercial sterilisation facilities.