Lakewood Industrial Firm Targeted By EPA For Cancer-Causing Gas

LAKEWOOD, CO – A Lakewood industrial business was targeted by the EPA in August for releasing potentially cancer-causing levels of ethylene oxide, a flammable, colorless gas used to sterilize medical equipment.

On Aug. 22, the EPA released the latest update of the National Air Toxics Assessment, that uses a computer model to identify pollutants "in need of further examination."

Twenty-six U.S. facilities were found to have "elevated potential cancer risk," including Terumo BCT Sterilization Services, Inc. at 11308 W. Collins Ave. in Lakewood, a statement from the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment said. The medical instrument sterilization business has been operating since 1967.

According to the state health department, the EPA computer-modeled the estimated excess cancer risk is 500 in a million for someone with a lifetime of exposure ̶ or about 70 years.

However, Terumo BCT has been "in compliance with all state and federal air pollution control requirements," the health department said.

The health department did not find any evidence of increased rates for residents near the factory in the state cancer registry search for Hodgkin's lymphoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, multiple myeloma, lymphocytic leukemia cancers and all cancers combined, the agency said.

“I’m extremely concerned, and I’m mad. I’ve been trying to keep my daughters safe with everything in their body, and then to find out they could be breathing in toxins? It’s absolutely frustrating, and it’s terrifying to me now since that report came out,” mother Nikki Browne told Colorado Community Media.

"We understand this news may worry people in the area," said exiting Executive Director of the CDPHE Larry Wolk, in an August statement. "We are already working with Terumo BCT officials about methods to further reduce any release of ethylene oxide at its Lakewood facility."

The state health department will be taking air samples near Terumo BCT and "conduct a health risk assessment based on those results," the agency said. "Measuring actual exposures, rather than computer-modeled exposure as in the EPA analysis, will provide a more accurate picture of whether there is a potential health risk," the agency said in a statement.

"Safety and health are top priorities for our associates, our community and the patients we ultimately serve… We work vigorously to minimize impact on the environment," Rusty Spinney, executive vice president of global operations for Terumo BCT said in a statement to the Lakewood Sentinel.

Exposure to ethylene oxide over time can irritate the eyes, skin, nose, throat, and lungs, and harm the brain and nervous system (causing effects such as headaches, memory loss, numbness), the EPA said. Breathing air with high levels of ethylene oxide over many years increases the risk of some types of cancers, including non-Hodgkin lymphoma, myeloma and lymphocytic leukemia and breast cancer in females.

"There is not an acute ̶ or short-term ̶ health risk for those living and working in the area," said Mark B. Johnson, director of Jefferson County Public Health in a statement. "The computer-modeled air toxics data should not be used to pinpoint specific risks within a given area."

Anyone who lives in the vicinity who has concerns about their health can contact the state health department’s toxicology call line at 303-692-2606 or send an email to cdphe_toxcall@state.co.us.

Image via Shutterstock

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