Ethylene Oxide (EtO) is an industrial solvent widely used as a sterilizing agent for medical and other equipment that cannot otherwise be sterilized by heat/steam. EtO may also be used as a component for producing other chemicals, including glycol and polyglycol...
David Goldman
Defense Verdict in First Ethylene Oxide Case to Go To Verdict in Colorado
Background Ethylene Oxide (EtO) is an industrial solvent widely used as a sterilizing agent for medical and other equipment that cannot otherwise be sterilized by heat/steam. EtO may also be used as a component for producing other chemicals, including glycol and...
D.C. CIRCUIT COURT UPHOLDS EPA’S ASSESSMENT OF CANCER RISK FROM ETHYLENE OXIDE
Background Ethylene Oxide (EtO) is a reactive chemical widely used as a sterilizing agent for medical equipment that cannot otherwise be sterilized by heat/steam. EtO may also be used as a component for producing other chemicals, including glycol and polyglycol...
Ethylene Oxide Litigation Expands To California
By: David Goldman, Esq. Background Ethylene Oxide (EtO) is a reactive chemical widely used as a sterilizing agent for medical equipment that cannot otherwise be sterilized by heat/steam. EtO may also be used as a component for producing other chemicals, including...
Recent Georgia Settlement of 79 Cases Proves That The 2022 Willowbrook Settlement May Be Just The Beginning
At the beginning of this year, we posited in an article entitled “Is the Sterigenics Settlement The First of Many Ethylene Oxide Settlements or is it Aberrational?” that the 2022 settlement by Sterigenics in the amount of $408 million to resolve 870 cases arising from...
EPA Continues To Implement Stricter Ethylene Oxide Air Toxics Rules
As we have note in prior posts, the Biden administration and the EPA have been emphasizing environmental justice, including a stronger focus on the negative health effects of Ethylene Oxide (EtO), an industrial solvent widely used as a sterilizing agent for medical...
Ethylene Oxide: Key Decision From Delaware Supreme Court
In 2021, we discussed how a Delaware federal court weighed in as to whether or not Delaware tort law recognized a viable cause of action based on fear of cancer resulting from Ethylene Oxide (EtO) emissions (holding that it did not). In that decision, Judge Stephanos...
Proposed Consent Decree – EPA & Ethylene Oxide Emissions
As previously discussed in our recent reports, the Biden administration and the EPA have been emphasizing environmental justice, which includes a focus on Ethylene Oxide (EtO), an industrial solvent widely used as a sterilizing agent for medical equipment that cannot...
EPA Gets Tougher On Ethylene Oxide Exposure Regulations – What Does This Mean For Your Company or Insured?
As we have noted in prior postings, the Biden administration and the EPA have been relatively aggressive in emphasizing their focus on pursuing environmental justice, which is a notable departure from the priorities of the Trump administration. Increasingly, the...
Is the Sterigenics Settlement The First of Many Ethylene Oxide Settlements or is it Aberrational?
As discussed in prior postings, a number of companies across the country convert ethylene oxide into a gas in order to sterilize medical equipment and supplies (as well as other items). One such company, Sterigenics, operated a large facility, Willowbook, in Illinois...