Denounce the EPA’s Plan to Weaken Cancer Gas Protections

The Environmental Protection Agency was created to protect public health — but its latest move does the opposite. The agency is proposing to weaken safeguards against ethylene oxide, a toxic gas linked to increased cancer risk.

For years, communities living near sterilization plants have sounded the alarm about the dangers of ethylene oxide. Scientific studies have linked long-term exposure to higher rates of breast cancer, lymphoma, and other serious illnesses. In response, federal regulators previously moved to tighten pollution controls and reduce emissions from facilities that use the chemical to sterilize medical equipment.

Now those protections are being rolled back — and people are going to die as a result.

The EPA says weakening the rule is necessary to avoid disrupting the supply of sterilized medical equipment such as surgical tools, catheters, and syringes. But public health advocates warn that the proposal shifts the burden onto families who live near sterilization plants — many of whom have already spent years fighting for stronger safeguards.

Ethylene oxide is not just another industrial chemical. The EPA itself has classified it as one of the most potent cancer-causing air pollutants Americans face. Even very small amounts released into the air can significantly increase cancer risk over time, especially for people who live nearby and are exposed continuously.

Communities across the country have already organized, testified at hearings, and pushed regulators to recognize the danger. Parents, workers, and neighbors have shared heartbreaking stories about cancer diagnoses they believe are tied to long-term exposure. Weakening protections now tells those communities that their health is negotiable.

Americans deserve clean air and strong protections from known carcinogens. Rolling back safeguards against ethylene oxide puts corporate convenience ahead of human lives and exposes entire communities to preventable harm.

Add your name to denounce the EPA’s plan to weaken protections against ethylene oxide and demand that public health comes before industry profits.