OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta joined a multistate coalition in submitting a comment letter opposing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposal, which rolls back national standards for emissions of ethylene oxide (EtO) from commercial sterilization facilities. These facilities use EtO, a flammable, colorless gas to sterlize medical equipment. EtO exposure has acute toxic effects, and chronic EtO exposure has been linked to significant health effects, including an increased risk of cancer. EPA had previously found that EtO is about 60 times more carcinogenic to children than thought when the last regulations were developed in 2006. In the comment letter, the coalition argues that the proposed rollback would gravely impact public health protections from toxic air pollutants.

“The science is clear: Ethylene oxide exposure is linked to cancer and other serious long-term health risks, and yet the Trump Administration is trying to gut public health protections with their proposal,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Communities of color and low-income communities are disproportionally impacted because commercial sterilization facilities are more likely to be located in their neighborhoods. No community should have to live with this exposure, and we urge the Trump Administration to reverse course immediately and continue to implement strong health protections and oversight of ethylene oxide use.”  

In 2024, recognizing the risks posed by EtO, the Biden Administration’s EPA finalized a rule under Section 112 of the Clean Air Act (CAA) to significantly reduce EtO emissions from commercial sterilization facilities by tightening emissions standards, expanding the sources of emissions that are covered by the standards, and imposing continuous monitoring requirements. Once fully implemented, the 2024 Rule would reduce annual nationwide EtO emissions from commercial sterilizers by 90%. However, in March, the Trump Administration’s EPA issued the Proposed Rule to repeal the EtO emission standards in the 2024 Rule. EPA now argues that the agency did not have the authority under the CAA to impose additional emission standards on sterilization facilities. Although California has its own state and local EtO emission regulations for commercial sterilizers that are equally or more stringent than EPA’s standards, the Proposed Rule is yet another attack on science, public health, and the environment. 

In the comment letter, the coalition asserts that:

• The scientific evidence irrefutably demonstrates that EtO is more dangerous than previously thought. 
• EPA appropriately relied on its cancer risk estimates for EtO when issuing the 2024 Rule.
• EPA’s actions in 2024 were well within the statutory authority granted by CAA to revise emission standards for toxic air pollutants based on updated science. 

Attorney General Bonta joins the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Virginia and the California Air Resources Board.