Lake County Gazette

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) has updated its website to include the 2024 Q4 data related to Vantage's permit. The results indicate Vantage concluded 2024 at 49.76 pounds (45.24% of permitted annual total) of ethylene oxide (EtO) emissions, with 47.26 pounds being fugitive emissions. In comparison, previous years saw releases of 62.44lbs in 2020, 21.18lbs in 2021, 47.81lbs in 2022, and 20.21lbs in 2023. Public Act 101-0023 and Vantage's Construction Permit limit the facility to an annual maximum of 110 pounds of emissions, with no more than 60 pounds as fugitive emissions.

The Q4 submission noted: "No deviations (i.e., missed daily calibrations or other events) during the quarterly period." It also reported that "there were no leaking components in all of Q4 2024."

The fourth-quarter report is now available on the IEPA website.

At the request of Gurnee Mayor Tom Hood, Representative Rita Mayfield has introduced legislation amending the Environmental Protection Act concerning ethylene oxide (EtO). The proposed bill adds requirements for an Ambient Air Monitoring Plan for non-sterilization facilities that mirror those for sterilization facilities and changes the definition of "nonnegligible ethylene oxide emissions source" from facilities emitting over150 pounds annually to those emitting more than30 pounds.

Once assigned to a committee, interested parties can file a Witness Slip stating their position on HB3505!; The Village will provide information on how to file a Witness Slip when available and encourages community members to file as "Proponents".

Mayor Hood requested this legislation following the release of an Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’s (ATSDR) draft health consultation titled: Health Evaluation of Ethylene Oxide (EtO) Concentrations in Outdoor Air Near Medline Industries and Vantage Specialty Chemicals". Currently, facilities using EtO for sterilization must conduct air sampling at their property lines and surrounding communities; however, manufacturing facilities using EtO are not required to perform this additional sampling HB3505 aims to correct this inconsistency

Information on HB3505 can be found at: https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/billstatus.asp

The ATSDR report and accompanying Lake County - Questions and Answers pdf can be found at: https://wwwn.cdc.gov/TSP/PHA/PHAListing.aspx

Past updates from the Village of Gurnee can be found at: https://www.gurnee.il.us/residents/safety/ethylene-oxide