{"id":7588,"date":"2026-04-08T00:31:45","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T00:31:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/?p=7588"},"modified":"2026-04-08T00:31:45","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T00:31:45","slug":"chilling-new-map-shows-exactly-who-is-at-risk-from-invisible-cancer-causing-gas-after-trumps-shock-rule-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/?p=7588","title":{"rendered":"Chilling new map shows exactly who is at risk from invisible cancer-causing gas after Trump&#8217;s shock rule change"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div itemprop=\"articleBody\">\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Health authorities are moving to weaken restrictions on an invisible gas linked to multiple forms of <a style=\"font-weight: bold;\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/cancer\/index.html\" id=\"mol-1e3f37a0-2deb-11f1-b86c-a7279795ce44\" class=\"\">cancer<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed reduced limits on <a style=\"font-weight: bold;\" target=\"_self\" class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sciencetech\/article-11733577\/Map-shows-14-million-Americans-live-5-miles-cancer-gas-emitting-plants.html\">emissions of ethylene oxide<\/a>, a colorless gas primarily used to sterilize medical equipment and make antifreeze. The man-made gas is emitted by at least 100 factories across the country, as well as from tobacco smoke and engine exhaust.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Experts estimate ethylene oxide sterilizes about half of all medical devices in the US (as well as devices in the <a style=\"font-weight: bold;\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/european-union\/index.html\" id=\"mol-f2edd290-2f99-11f1-8000-693da2d0aba1\">European Union<\/a>), helping to prevent infections in patients having surgery or other treatments. This adds up to around 20 billion devices each year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Despite its use in hospital settings, ethylene oxide is classified by the EPA and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a Group 1 carcinogen, meaning there is sufficient evidence that it causes cancer in humans.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Long-term exposure, often from industrial emissions or medical equipment sterilization, has been associated with leukemia, breast cancer and lymphoma, as well as miscarriages and infertility, in animal and human studies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The new measure seeks to reverse a 2024 Biden-era ruling that called for a 90 percent reduction in commercial sterilizer emissions.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Now, the EPA&#8217;s proposed rule would loosen limits on ethylene oxide emissions for about 90 commercial sterilization facilities nationwide, putting the two million Americans who live within two miles of these facilities at risk of deadly health complications.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The Daily Mail&#8217;s interactive map below, which uses 2023 data from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), shows the locations of more than 100 sterilization facilities releasing ethylene oxide.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"artSplitter mol-img-group\" style=\"\">\n<div class=\"mol-img\">\n<div class=\"image-wrap\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-b239f74929f0c618\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2026\/04\/02\/20\/107593279-15698943-President_Donald_Trump_s_EPA_is_proposing_loosening_limits_on_ca-a-36_1775156985219.jpg\" height=\"427\" width=\"634\" alt=\"President Donald Trump's EPA is proposing loosening limits on cancer-causing gas ethylene oxide\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">President Donald Trump&#8217;s EPA is proposing loosening limits on cancer-causing gas ethylene oxide<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><iframe data-xpmodule-iframe-resizable=\"\" scrolling=\"no\" name=\"xp-iframe-mnpb3wnn1nw2czyytgs\" class=\"iframe-creator \" src=\"https:\/\/public.flourish.studio\/visualisation\/28338700\/embed\" allow=\"clipboard-write\" height=\"550\" style=\"border: 0; width: 0; min-width: 100%; \" id=\"xp-iframe-mnpb3wnn1nw2czyytgs\"><\/p>\n<p>Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n<p>    <\/iframe><\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The agency said stricter limits on ethylene oxide enacted during the Biden administration would be near impossible for many facilities to meet. It also noted it was proposing to rescind a requirement that facilities conduct round-the-clock monitoring of ethylene oxide emissions.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">President Donald Trump has said that previous limits would &#8216;likely force existing sterilization facilities to close down, seriously disrupting the supply of medical equipment.&#8217;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;The Trump EPA is committed to ensuring lifesaving medical devices remain available for the critical care of America&#8217;s children, elderly and all patients without unnecessary exposure to communities,&#8217; Lee Zeldin, EPA administrator, said in the release.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Ethylene oxide is praised for being able to destroy bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms without damaging plastics and other delicate materials. The EPA said in its release that there is no viable alternative on the market.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Research <a style=\"font-weight: bold;\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1023\/A:1024891529592\">published in 2003<\/a>\u00a0looking at cancer mortality rates for workers at sterilization facilities found increased exposures to ethylene oxide were associated with higher mortality from lymphoma, leukemia and breast cancer.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">That study was <a style=\"font-weight: bold;\" class=\"\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/ajim.23115\">reanalyzed in 2020<\/a>, and the team found even stronger relationships between the chemical and breast cancer mortality for patients employed at sterilization facilities for longer periods of time.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">There is also extensive evidence showing mice inhaling ethylene oxide had a higher risk of mammary tumors.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Sterilization facilities are often in low-income neighborhoods dominated by Black and Latino populations,\u00a0according to a 2023 analysis from environmental group Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The UCS analysis found the majority of these facilities are in industrial areas in southern California, Georgia, Illinois, Texas and Puerto Rico. Other metropolitan areas with higher concentrations include Memphis, Minneapolis, Baltimore, Denver and Phoenix.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">One facility is located in the border town of Laredo, Texas, where National Cancer Institute figures show cancer rates could be up to 75 percent higher than the rest of the nation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The UCS data estimated the risk of cancer associated with ethylene oxide for each facility per one million people and found the highest risk was from the Steri-Tech facility in Salinas, Puerto Rico.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">When examining risk levels of ethylene oxide-associated cancer at the Salinas facility, the researchers found it to be 365 per one million people. For\u00a0Steris Isomedix in El Paso, Texas, it dropped to 356 per one million people.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Rounding out the top five facilities with the highest ethylene oxide-associated cancer risks were Bard CR of Covington, Georgia (270 per one million people), Midwest Sterilization of Jackson, Missouri (269 per one million people), and Edwards Lifesciences Technology of\u00a0A\u00f1asco, Puerto Rico (191 per one million people).\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"artSplitter mol-img-group\" style=\"\">\n<div class=\"mol-img\">\n<div class=\"image-wrap\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-edddc65f353ac856\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2026\/04\/02\/20\/107593273-15698943-EPA_administrator_Lee_Zeldin_pictured_in_the_above_file_photo_sa-a-37_1775156985225.jpg\" height=\"427\" width=\"634\" alt=\"EPA administrator Lee Zeldin said the agency 'is committed to ensuring lifesaving medical devices remain available for the critical care of America's children, elderly and all patients without unnecessary exposure to communities'\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">EPA administrator Lee Zeldin said the agency &#8216;is committed to ensuring lifesaving medical devices remain available for the critical care of America&#8217;s children, elderly and all patients without unnecessary exposure to communities&#8217;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">In 2024, the Biden administration strengthened limits on ethylene emissions as part of the former president&#8217;s &#8216;moonshot&#8217; program meant to slash cancer deaths in the US.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">At the time, the administration estimated stronger rules would reduce ethylene oxide emissions from sterilization plants by 90 percent, and some of the plants would have had to install or upgrade pollution controls.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Ahead of the EPA&#8217;s latest proposal, the Trump administration has exempted 40 sterilization plants from complying with the Biden-era limits. Several environmental groups such as the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) filed a lawsuit last year to block the exemptions. The suit is pending in Washington, DC, federal court.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;[The Trump] administration is systematically looking for ways to let polluters off the hook,&#8217; Sarah Buckley, a senior attorney at the NRDC, said in a statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;If this abuse of authority is left unchecked, communities will pay the price in higher cancer risks.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The EPA will solicit public comments on the proposed rules for 45 days after its publication in the Federal Register. If approved, it will be finalized in the coming months.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Health authorities are moving to weaken restrictions on an invisible gas linked to multiple forms of cancer. Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed reduced limits on emissions of ethylene oxide, a colorless gas primarily used to sterilize medical equipment and make antifreeze. The man-made gas is emitted by at least 100 factories across<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7589,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[520],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-7588","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-hot"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7588"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7588\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7589"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}