Exposure to ethylene oxide (EtO) can increase your risk of developing multiple types of cancer. People living near or working at the BD Medical ethylene oxide sterilization facility in Sandy, Utah, may be alarmed to discover that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concluded in 2022 that the facility’s emissions have contributed to a higher-than-average cancer rate in the community.
Hundreds of cancer patients and their families are moving forward with ethylene oxide lawsuits.
against commercial sterilizers and other companies that emit cancer-causing EtO. You, too, may be entitled to financial compensation.
The EtO lawsuit attorneys at Console & Associates, P.C. are here to answer your questions about toxic exposure to EtO. We can review your case and help you understand your legal rights and options at no cost. Just call (866) 778-5500 today or complete our online form.
Is Sandy, Utah, safe from chemical exposures that contribute to cancer hotspots? Unfortunately, in 2022, the EPA identified the Sandy, UT, BD Medical facility as one of the 23 commercial sterilizers whose ethylene oxide emissions contributed to an elevated lifetime cancer risk in the surrounding community.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported Madeline Beal, senior risk communication adviser with EPA, as saying in August 2022, “The risk in Sandy, Utah, is too high.”
The BD Medical facility located at 9450 South State Street in Sandy, UT, uses ethylene oxide for sterilization of medical equipment, devices, and materials—particularly IV catheters. The facility, which The Salt Lake Tribune characterized as a “sprawling 650,000-square-foot complex,” has been operating in the community since 2007.
In the EPA risk map, residents from Evening Star Way and State Route 209 and between Brandy Creel Drive and US Highway 89, Salt Lake City-based news source KSL-TV reported. FOX 13 News – Salt Lake City reported in March 2023 that the area within a five-mile radius of the Sandy, UT, BD Medical facility encompassed 163 schools and daycare centers and a residential population estimated at 310,000. The zone where the increase in cancer risk is the highest—encompassing “a few blocks around the plant”—was home to around 700 residents, The Salt Lake Tribune reported in October 2022.
The EPA reported that BD Medical planned to reduce its EtO emissions by 90% or more within a year. The facility’s two-pronged efforts would include the installation of a new control system designed to decrease “fugitive” emissions of ethylene oxide gas and the implementation of cycle optimization that would decrease the facility’s total EtO consumption.
Still, for longtime residents and workers in the vicinity of the plant, the damage already done over years of breathing in EtO is a serious cause for concern. The EPA’s findings regarding ethylene oxide and cancer, as well as the news of elevated cancer risks in the Sandy, UT, area, have given rise to BD Medical EtO lawsuits.
Ethylene oxide gas is a combination of molecules of hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen.
This flammable gas is colorless and may be odorless even at levels that can contribute to elevated cancer risk. As a result, people living in or near ethylene oxide sterilization facilities may be breathing in a toxic chemical without even knowing it.
At the BD Medical facility in Sandy, Utah, ethylene oxide is used in the sterilization of medical devices. Employing ethylene oxide for sterilization is a common practice. In fact, about 20 billion medical devices—half of all sterile medical devices in the United States—are sterilized with ethylene oxide. The ethylene oxide sterilization process is also used to sterilize spices and food products, as well as cosmetics.
What is ethylene oxide sterilization? Ethylene oxide typically kills microbes by damaging their DNA.
Other ethylene oxide uses include chemical manufacturing applications. Ethylene oxide is used to manufacture a variety of chemicals used in daily life, including antifreeze, adhesives, detergents, plastics, and textiles, the EPA reported.
There are so many ethylene oxide uses in medical device sterilization and chemical manufacturing that the trade association American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers labeled ethylene the “World’s Most Important Chemical” in 2017.
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Is ethylene oxide carcinogenic? Yes—the EPA categorizes EtO as “carcinogenic to humans” when inhaled.
What does ethylene oxide do to the body? Ethylene oxide effects on humans can, unfortunately, be similar to its effects on the microorganisms it kills through the sterilization process.
“The ability of ethylene oxide to damage DNA makes it an effective sterilizing agent but also accounts for its cancer-causing activity,” the National Cancer Institute reported. Long-term exposure to ethylene oxide, in particular, has been shown to increase the lifetime likelihood of developing cancer.
Exposure to the ethylene oxide carcinogen is more closely associated with certain types of cancer. In particular, the EPA reported, exposure to EtO has been linked to cancers of the white blood cells, including:
Breast cancer is another form of cancer that has been strongly linked to exposure to ethylene oxide gas, particularly in women, the EPA reported.
To learn more about cancer diagnoses linked to ethylene oxide, click here.
Being diagnosed with cancer can turn your life upside-down. Depending on the type, stage, and location of your cancer and your overall health, you may need to undergo surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, or any number of other treatments. A cancer battle can be painful and draining—not only physically but also emotionally and even financially.
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At a time when they should be able to focus on their health, too many cancer patients are forced to worry about affording the cost of the treatment that will offer them the best possible outcomes. That’s where EtO lawsuit claims come in.
Through an ethylene oxide lawsuit, cancer patients can seek compensation for all of the losses arising out of their condition, including their:
Sandy, Utah, ETO lawsuits generally require two criteria:
Most plaintiffs in ethylene oxide cancer lawsuits have spent years either living or working in close proximity to the BD Medical sterilization facility.
The closer you were to the BD Medical facility that emitted ethylene oxide gas and the longer you were in this vicinity, the greater the increase in your lifetime risk of developing cancer from exposure to EtO.
Many of the current and former Sandy, UT, residents who are moving forward with ethylene oxide lawsuits spent years living close to the facility—often within just a few miles of the commercial sterilizer.
Children and people who lived in this community during childhood are particularly at risk. As the EPA explained, children’s growing bodies “tend to be more susceptible to the harmful effects caused by chemicals, including chemicals that are mutagenic,” as EtO is.
BD Medical employees who have worked in the facility for years have spent much of their time in the epicenter of ethylene oxide emissions. As a result, they may be facing a greater likelihood of developing cancer, too—even if they commute from out of town.
Aside from their cancer diagnoses and exposure to toxic chemical pollution, the plaintiffs in Sandy, Utah, EtO lawsuits have something else in common: the need for an experienced attorney.
These aren’t simple legal claims you can expect to handle on your own. You will have to stand up to a multinational company, provide evidence of the scientific research linking EtO exposure to cancer, and supply expert witness opinions to support your claim. That’s on top of navigating the complex legal process, drafting legal documents, and making sure all documents are filed correctly and on time.
You’re going to need a lawyer on your side.
We’ll handle every aspect of your claim, from investigating and gathering the documentation to support your case to calculating the full extent of your damages and negotiating a settlement on your behalf.
Every cancer battle is unique, and so is the story of every person exposed to toxic chemicals. If you’re not sure whether you have the grounds to pursue a claim, we can help. An ethylene oxide lawsuit attorney at Console & Associates, P.C. can review your situation at no charge, and there’s no obligation to move forward if you don’t want to.
We know the financial burden that comes with cancer. That’s why our toxic exposure attorneys are handling EtO cancer lawsuits like yours at no upfront cost.
Getting the compensation your family deserves starts with a free, confidential consultation. Call (866) 778-5500 or contact us online today.
