Cancer Risk Tied To Emissions From Willowbrook Company: Study

WILLOWBROOK, IL — The village of Willowbrook will hold a public forum regarding a recent report of hazardous emissions in the air from Sterigenics International, Inc. The facility, located at 830 Midway Drive and 7775 Quincy St., provides sterilization services to the medical, pharmaceutical and food industries, according to the village.

In a report from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), which is a division of the CDC, the agency evaluated potential health impacts for Ethylene Oxide emissions. According to the report, Sterigenics International Inc. uses ethylene oxide to sterilize medical equipment and other products.

In the report, ATSDR recommends that Sterigenics take immediate action to reduce EtO emissions and should initiate long-term air monitoring. It was also recommended that the Illinois Department of Public Health investigate whether there are elevated cases of cancer in the population near the facility.

The conclusion of the report states, "“If measured and modeled data represent typical EtO ambient concentrations in ambient air, an elevated cancer risk exists for residents and off-site workers in the Willowbrook community surrounding the Sterigenics facility. These evaluated risks present a public health hazard to these populations.”

On the village website, the village said ATSDR based this conclusion on estimated cancer risks that are calculated using assumptions about a lifetime exposure to the highest levels of ethylene oxide that were measured in Willowbrook commercial and residential areas near the facility.

"The highest measured levels of ethylene oxide in those areas were about 1,000 times lower than levels associated with cancer risks in scientific studies of workers with industrial exposure to EtO," the village said.

According to the village, the Environmental Protection Agency, Illinois EPA and Sterigenics have been working to reduce emissions. In July, the company installed additional pollution controls to capture ethylene oxide emissions.

A report from the U.S. National Cancer Institute notes, "Exposure to (ethylene oxide) is highly irritating to the eyes, skin and respiratory tract, induces nausea and vomiting and causes central nervous system depression. Ethylene oxide is mutagenic in humans and chronic exposure is associated with an increased risk of leukemia, stomach cancer, pancreatic cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma."

In a report to the village board on Aug. 27, Mayor Frank Trilla said the village has been working around the clock to decipher what the report means.

"The report is incredibly difficult to understand," Trilla said. "This process of trying to understand and getting answers from these government agencies - has been incredibly frustrating."

Trilla said the village has met with Sterigenics and they have been cooperative and forthcoming with all questions.

The village, along with the U.S. EPA, will hold a public forum for anyone interested to ask questions regarding the report. Representatives from Sterigenics, ATSDR, U.S. EPA, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (a division of the U.S. EPA), Illinois EPA and DuPage County Health Department will be at the meeting. In addition, U.S. Congressman Bill Foster, Illinois Representative Jim Durkin and Illinois State Senator John Curran, along with Willowbrook Mayor Frank Trilla and the Village Trustees will be present.

“The residents of Willowbrook and I have deep concerns, and many questions, about the recently released toxicity report from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry regarding the air quality in our community," State Sen. Curran said in a statement about the report.

Curran added that, "It is vital that we have all the information available so we can best mitigate this issue in order to reduce any long-term impact on our community. We cannot delay, we must act now.”

The forum will be held at 7 p.m. Aug. 29 at Ashton Place.

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