Did You Know?
EtO is created by plants, animals, and human beings and is the byproduct of the operation of cars, gas grills, and generators. It exists in urban, suburban, and rural environments. When EtO is detected in an area far away from a known EtO emission source, that detection is attributed to “background” sources.1 That’s why it’s important to collect air data from areas both near to and far away from a known EtO emission source and to compare risk estimates from an area with an emission source to those involving only background sources.
Investing in Operations
Even though our emission levels have been well below permitted levels, in 2018, Terumo BCT voluntarily implemented additional controls to further reduce our EtO emissions, as validated by the CDPHE and third-party testing. In 2023, we will bring online a new, state-of-the-art emissions control system at our sterilization facility. This system will convert EtO into carbon dioxide and water vapor and will further decrease emissions. We conduct regular EtO monitoring of our sterilization facility employees to confirm exposure levels are within OSHA limits. We also test our products to ensure residual EtO levels are below those required by the FDA and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) specifications. CDPHE and EPA have publicly confirmed that we are in compliance with current air pollution control requirements.2