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Special Report

Ethylene Oxide: Invisible Threat

Two Georgia communities seek answers after they discover that medical sterilization plants are pumping ethylene oxide — a gas known to cause cancer — into the air in their neighborhoods.
Article
Residents Unaware of Cancer-Causing Toxin in Air

Federal data show an increased cancer risk to neighborhoods across the country around plants that emit a gas called ethylene oxide, which is used to sterilize medical equipment.

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Article
Residents, Leaders 'Shocked' by Toxic Air Report

On Friday, WebMD and Georgia Health News revealed that Georgia had three census tracts the EPA identified as having elevated cancer risks because of a toxic gas called ethylene oxide.

Article
GA Governor To Investigate Toxic Air At Plants

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp says he is working with government officials to investigate toxic air emissions from two medical sterilization plants in the state.

Article
Local Air Testing for Toxic Gas Closer to Reality

Meanwhile, the state Environmental Protection Division this week revealed results of an initial sample test for ethylene oxide at its South DeKalb monitoring station.

Article
Cancer Risks Spur Calls to Replace Ethylene Oxide

The current outcry from communities that have been exposed to the carcinogen ethylene oxide has federal regulators and device makers seriously rethinking a question that’s been hanging over the sterilization industry for decades: Can ethylene oxide be replaced?

Article
Ongoing News Coverage: Ethylene Oxide Emissions

WebMD and Georgia Health News' ongoing coverage about ethylene oxide emissions coming from medical sterilization plants Smyrna and Covington, GA. An EPA report find higher cancer risks in three nearby census tracts due to the toxic gas.

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