Findings released on ethylene oxide emissions in Lake County

WAUKEGAN -- Ethylene oxide (EtO) has been of great concern to the residents of Lake County since November of 2018, when county officials became aware that there are two facilities in the county emitting the carcinogenic gas.

That concern prompted the Lake County Health Department to initially request that either the U.S. or the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency conduct air testing as a first step in determining the air concentrations, and ultimately, the risk they posed.

As it became clear that EPA would not do the air testing, the Lake County Health Department partnered with the Village of Gurnee and the City of Waukegan to fund and conduct air testing, which began in June 2019.

Later funding from the Illinois EPA facilitated further testing, which extended in three phases into May 2020.

The goal from the start was to gather essential air concentration data to provide to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Diseases Registry (ATSDR), which is a part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, so that they could develop a health risk consultation for the residents of the county. That request was made in March 2019, before the air testing program even began.

Last week, the ATSDR released their findings. On June 26, scientists from the ATSDR presented their findings to the residents of Lake County at a public information session in Waukegan.

“We want to thank the ATSDR for producing this important health consultation, and for presenting the information to the public,” said Mark Pfister, executive director of the LCHD. “The report states that with very long-term exposure there may be a slight increased risk for developing cancer for people who live very near the facilities, but it also demonstrates how much emissions have been greatly reduced due to quick passage and implementation of effective legislation in Illinois, and the imposition of strict permit requirements.”

In the report, the ATSDR recommends that the Illinois EPA and the two facilities investigate potential sources of EtO emissions, and that additional air testing be conducted around Vantage Specialty Chemicals.

The report also recommends that the U.S. EPA continues to work on improving EtO testing methods, and on better understanding background levels of EtO to more accurately estimate exposures.

“Nothing is more important than the health of our residents. We fully support these recommendations, and trust that if implemented, they will further reduce these toxic emissions,” Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart said.

The ATSDR health consultation is open for public comment until Aug. 5, after which it will be finalized. Comments may be sent to ATSDR Records Center at 4770 Buford Highway NE, MS S106-5, Atlanta, GA 30341, or emailed to atsdrrecordscenter@cdc.gov.