Lake County Gazette

The most recent report on ethylene oxide (EtO) near Vantage Specialty Chemicals in Gurnee and Medline Industries in Waukegan shows efforts to reduce emissions have been effective, according to Medline spokesman Jesse Greenberg.

“The Lake County Health Department released the most recent ethylene oxide (EtO) ambient air readings on June 17. In the 50 samples collected from April 4 to May 2, Waukegan averaged only .29 µg/m³ (micrograms, or one-millionth of a gram, per cubic meter air),” Greenberg said in a statement. “These results are also approximately 15 percent lower than readings at Lake County’s remote test sites, which are intended to be a representation of EtO background levels in the area. Medline’s top priority has been and will continue to be the safety of our employees and our community.”

Medline uses EtO to sterilize medical equipment. The chemical is used to remove potentially harmful germs and other microorganisms prior to use. Up to 20 million pieces of medical equipment are sanitized with EtO annually, half of all such equipment used in the country.

The report was compiled by the Lake County Health Department, village of Gurnee, and city of Waukegan, which said they had received the final set of results from the last phase of outdoor air monitoring for EtO.

Samples were collected from 12 sites every third day during a 30-day period, which ended May 2, according to the report.

“The three phases of air monitoring were conducted over 120 days, with samples collected on 54 separate days between June 2019 and May 2020,” the report stated. “A total of 606 samples were collected throughout the program, with an additional 54 samples collected by Medline and Vantage.”

Greenberg said Medline has always emphasized the health of its employees and residents around its facilities.

“This comes as no surprise as we have always operated safely,” he told Lake County Gazette. “Ambient air data has shown low levels of ethylene oxide near our facility in Waukegan and the latest data continues to demonstrate levels below the background as measured by the U.S. EPA.”

Greenberg noted MedIine completed the installation of a $10 million emissions control system in March to be in compliance with the Matt Haller Act in Illinois. Medline currently captures 99.99 percent of all EtO that it uses while preventing fugitive emissions.

Ambient data is an important tool and these readings are well below the USEPA's national background levels of ethylene oxide, he noted.

“But even more important, we constantly monitor the effectiveness of our emissions control system to ensure that Medline’s Waukegan facility continues to meet the state's recently passed legislation, which has been called the toughest in the nation,” Greenberg said.

The Lake County Health Department report was sent to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) for further analysis, and to the Illinois EPA which has regulatory authority over EtO emissions permitting in the state.

With the rest results, the ATSDR can perform a health-risk assessment for Lake County. The Illinois Department of Public Health plans a cancer incidence study that will encompass Lake County. Those studies will not be available for several months.

For more details on EtO in Lake County, visit the Health Department’s website, www.lakecountyil.gov/eto.