Illinois State Senate District 31 issued the following announcement on June 21.
Illinois will now have the strictest limits in the nation on ethylene oxide emissions thanks to legislation from State Senator Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake) that was signed into law .
“This is a major step forward to ensure the air we breathe is safe,” Bush said. “Ethylene oxide emitters will now have to follow stricter guidelines and will be required to be better stewards of the environment.”
Senate Bill 1852 puts restrictions on facilities like Medline and Sterigenics that use ethylene oxide for sterilization. The measure requires facilities to reduce emissions by 99.9 percent; sets emissions, dispersion and ambient air testing protocols; strengthens seal order implications; and prevents future facilities from being built near schools and parks.
Senate Bill 1854 requires Vantage Specialty Chemicals, a Lake County manufacturer that uses ethylene oxide in its products, to put in place several environmental safeguards in order to continue operating. It requires Vantage to have an Illinois Environmental Protection Agency-approved emission monitoring plan and dispersion modeling in order to receive a site-specific permit for ethylene oxide emissions.
Last year, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry released a report showing that the areas around Sterigenics in DuPage County and Medline in Lake County have increased rates of cancer due to ethylene oxide emissions.
“Thank you to Gov. Pritzker for signing this legislation to keep Lake County residents safe,” Bush said. “These new regulations will allow the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to keep a close eye on Medline and Vantage and make sure they’re meeting these strict environmental safeguards.”
These laws have an immediate effective date.
Original source can be found here.
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