Air monitoring for EtO facilities and warehouses
Donation protected
In spite of Illinois laws passed last year, Lake County still has high Ethylene Oxide (EtO) emissions above acceptable levels. Air monitoring in April 2020 showed these laws and permits are not adequately protecting some of our poorest communities from this carcinogen gas.
We have recently learned about two sterilizers in Georgia which emit EtO not only from the sterilizing facilities but also from their remote warehouses through materials off-gassing. In fact, a warehouse of Becton-Dickinson (BD) was emitting as much as 5,600 pounds of EtO per year into nearby Georgian communities.
Warehouses are not regulated. Therefore, any EtO off-gassing is freely emitted in the air.
Medline uses four warehouses in Lake County: two in Waukegan, one in Libertyville, and one in Mundelein. They are also currently building a new one in Grayslake. These warehouses store sterilized materials which may be off-gassing considerable amounts of EtO into nearby communities. We need testing to verify EtO levels near these sites.
We have asked the IL EPA to fund additional air monitoring around Medline warehouses. Our requests were denied. The IL EPA feels they have done more than enough to address EtO issues in Lake County.
Hence, we will take care of the testing ourselves. The money you are donating today will purchase air monitors for testing by Vantage and Medline facilities and by Medline's four warehouses. The more funding gets donated, the more air monitors will be purchased for analysis. All the data from laboratory analysis will be published on our website at www.stopeto.com
We are grateful for your generosity!
Sincerely,
Stop EtO team
We have recently learned about two sterilizers in Georgia which emit EtO not only from the sterilizing facilities but also from their remote warehouses through materials off-gassing. In fact, a warehouse of Becton-Dickinson (BD) was emitting as much as 5,600 pounds of EtO per year into nearby Georgian communities.
Warehouses are not regulated. Therefore, any EtO off-gassing is freely emitted in the air.
Medline uses four warehouses in Lake County: two in Waukegan, one in Libertyville, and one in Mundelein. They are also currently building a new one in Grayslake. These warehouses store sterilized materials which may be off-gassing considerable amounts of EtO into nearby communities. We need testing to verify EtO levels near these sites.
We have asked the IL EPA to fund additional air monitoring around Medline warehouses. Our requests were denied. The IL EPA feels they have done more than enough to address EtO issues in Lake County.
Hence, we will take care of the testing ourselves. The money you are donating today will purchase air monitors for testing by Vantage and Medline facilities and by Medline's four warehouses. The more funding gets donated, the more air monitors will be purchased for analysis. All the data from laboratory analysis will be published on our website at www.stopeto.com
We are grateful for your generosity!
Sincerely,
Stop EtO team
Fundraising team: Stop EtO (2)
Stop EtO
Organizer
Grayslake, IL
Barb Hernandez
Team member
