Risks of getting cancer from breathing ethylene oxide (EtO) are less than they were in 2020 for people living or working near a factory using the chemical in Waukegan, but less so from another in Gurnee, according to a recent report, but more can be done and continued vigilance is suggested.
Health and environmental concerns were among the questions asked during a public meeting Wednesday in Waukegan on a comprehensive study by the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention’s National Center for Environmental Health.
Issued by the CDC’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Friday in Atlanta, the 126-page report was issued after a request in 2019 from the Lake County Health Department.
Lydia Hoadley, an environmental health scientist with ATSDR said extensive research and testing was necessary to do the report, with air samples taken near the two plants and in two random areas of Cook County as a control.
Hoadley talked about before and after conditions at both Medline’s facility in Waukegan, which sterilizes surgical products, and Vantage Specialty Chemicals’ Gurnee plant, where ingredients for personal care, food and industrial goods are made.
Both Medline and Vantage use EtO in their manufacturing process, and the plants are approximately three miles apart. Hoadley said their approach was different when Illinois began monitoring EtO emissions more closely.
“Medline closed its plant and reopened in March of 2020 with improvements,” Hoadley said. “There was a significant drop,” she added, referring to a tenfold reduction of emissions.
Under an Illinois law enacted in 2019 regulating EtO emissions testing, Hoadley said Medline was required to continue testing because of products it made, while Vantage did not.
As a result of Medline’s continued testing, the report concluded no cancer risk remains for people working near the plant. Since Vantage has not tested since 2020, a risk still exists near its Gurnee facility. Hoadley said the situation is different for area residents.
“Working and living near the facility are different,” she said “People working there are only exposed during their workday. People living there have no break.”
There were several comments from people at the meeting like Doug Ower of Zion, who wants to see Vantage test as frequently as Medline. The issue is not what the law requires, but what keeps the air healthier, he said.
“It needs to be done,” said Ower, an environmental activist with the Sierra Club and Clean Power Lake County. “We need to do everything we can to ensure there is less EtO in the air.”
U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Highland Park, represents Waukegan and Gurnee, as well as co-chairing the bipartisan Congressional Ethylene Oxide Task Force. He said in an email Friday he is pleased with the report, but wants to see more from Vantage.
“I also urge Vantage to resume air monitoring outside its Gurnee plant to give confidence that their control systems are working,” Schneider said. “I am pleased that recent measurements of EtO near Medline are consistent with measurements at locations in Lake County, and around the country, that are not close to any facilities using EtO.”
“It would be helpful to have more recent data to be able to determine the health risk,” Dr. Aaron Bernstein, the director of the CDC’s Center for Environmental Health, added referring to Vantage’s lack of information.
People like Paulina Bartniki were at the meeting because of health concerns. She said she lived near the Medline plant for two months last year. She started feeling nauseous while there, and had problems sleeping.
Dr. Michelle Zeager said before the meeting people who live within, or have lived within, 0.7 miles of the Medline or Vantage facilities should take extra care to guard against cancer, even though the risk is less than it was before.
“They need to be vigilant with their healthcare,” Zaeger said. “They should get regular physicals with their doctor. They should get all the existing screenings, like breast cancer and colon cancer.”
Hoadley said with the report soon to be complete, after public comments and response to it are added, the next steps will be in the hands of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.
Schneider said in his Friday email he wants the EPA to adjust its diagnostic tools and methods to more stringently monitor EtO levels around Waukegan, Gurnee and anywhere else EtO is emitted into the air.
“I urge the EPA to follow ATSDR’s advice to improve analytical methods with lower detection limits to observe EtO levels,” Schneider said. “It remains imperative EtO levels continue to be monitored going forward so area residents can be confident their communities are safe.”
Mark Pfister, the executive director of the Lake County Health Department, said after the meeting when he learned there were manufacturers in the area using EtO and its health risk, it was imperative to seek help from the CDC. The health department will continue to be a watchdog, he said.
“We support the recommendations of the report,” Pfister said. “We’ll work with the EPA, and look to other partners to make sure they are carried out.”
ATSDR is seeking public comment on the report through Aug. 5. Hoadley said the final version of the report will include a response to the public comments.
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