About 88 facilities in several states use the cancer-causing chemical EtO
The EPA has linked EtO, used on medical equipment, to several forms of cancer
A medical gas used in thousands of hospitals across the US may be causing cancers, reports suggest.
Ethylene oxide (EtO) is a colorless, odorless gas routinely used to clean hospital equipment including ventilators, surgical kits, catheters, and gowns.
But studies suggest that when it is routinely breathed in, the chemical can cause damaging mutations in cells and raise the risk of cancer, including of the blood, stomach and breasts.
There are particular concerns for those living around sterilization facilities where the gas can hang in the air for hours, repeatedly exposing people.
The EPA warned that there were 88 facilities using the gas in 2022, with 23 of these having emission levels in the local area that concerned officials.
Affected states included Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Oklahoma, Texas, and Florida, among others.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-13273579/medical-gas-hospitals-cancer.html
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