Sterigenics: Don’t Be Overwhelmed

For those of you unaware of ethylene oxide (EtO), it is an odorless, colorless gas used in the sterilization of medical instruments. Companies like Sterigenics have factories where they perform this sterilization process which entails some release of EtO into the atmosphere, meaning people who live near these plants inhale some of EtO with the air they breathe, and to a lesser degree, absorb some of it through their skin. For decades, researchers have been aware that EtO in the environment leads to an increase in many cancers, especially lymphomas and breast cancer, as well as fertility issues. In my last blog entry, I reviewed my recent diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and my wife’s breast cancer, our multiple miscarriages, and the premature birth/death of our daughter Lydia, all of which can be tied to our exposure to EtO during our employment (see chart on page 3) at Hinsdale South High School, which is less than two miles away from the Sterigenics plant in Willowbrook, Illinois. Although this facility has been closed for the time being, the Sterigenics legal team has been denying any negative impacts from Sterigenics’s EtO release and lobbying to reopen the plant, to say nothing of continuing to release EtO into the air of other communities where it is still operating, including two Lake County sites.

All of which leads to the question of should happen next. Unfortunately, the myriad implications this pollution has had, is having, and will have on those near it can be overwhelming. Understanding just what those impacts are, informing those affected, holding Sterigenics accountable, cleaning up the communities near these plants, trying to make sure this kind of thing is stopped wherever it might be occurring, and preventing future environmental threats from hurting people are just some of the tasks which require organization, time, and effort to accomplish. And ethylene oxide pollution could be just one of many issues which will plague our societies as we continue to seek “improvements” by any technological, chemical, or psychological means possible. Just imagine the problems we’ll unleash once we starting messing with the genes of our unborn children! (Yes, that brave new world is only a few years away from becoming commonplace.)

But looking at these issues from a macro view can make the tasks ahead seem so huge as to render us frozen and powerless in reaction. No one person can tackle all the components of these problems, to say nothing of the reality that often, those most motivated to act against environmental hazards like this are those who are now ill from their exposure; I began my “targeted treatment” just a few days ago, and the one almost certain side effect of my course of treatment will be fatigue. So, the front-line warriors in this battle against billion-dollar, multi-national corporations are typically sick people who are struggling with the side effects of their efforts to improve their health, which was undermined by those well-financed companies and their armies of lawyers in the first place. (There is still time to become part of the legal action to hold Sterigenics accountable if you or someone you know might have been impacted by its EtO release.) If ever there was a perfect recipe for impotent rage, this might be it.

And that just makes it all the more important to focus on the ultimate end—a world where breathing at home or work doesn’t lead to cancer, not exactly an outrageous expectation, I would argue. In a society where callous disregard for negative, long-term outcomes is often rewarded with greater profits, however, that fundamental given is no longer guaranteed. Everyone needs to be aware of these threats, and we cannot assume that those in “charge” will take care of them. If it weren’t for the efforts of the Stop Sterigenics team (a group of dedicated individuals who came together over this issue and have been the primary source of positive action in relation to shutting down Sterigenics), EtO would probably still be a significant condiment served in the Hinsdale South High School cafeteria—and it could be again, if those in charge of Sterigenics have their way.

Organization and specialization, then, become the key components of these complicated processes and the challenges of changing things for the better. Divide and conquer might be a better, more positive way to look at the seemingly insurmountable tasks before us. Rather than seeing ourselves as Sisyphus, sadly pushing our rock up the mountain by ourselves, only to have it roll back down to the valley long before we reach the top, we have to find more manageable things we can accomplish, realistic objectives. We can focus on our areas of strength, whether it be publicity, research, lobbying, organization, legislation, protests, sending angry emails, or even a bull-headed stubbornness in making endless phone calls to politicians—virtually any trait except apathy has a role to play in this operation. Everybody simply needs to find her/his lane and start working.

Fortunately, there is already an organization in place which can get you started with a single scroll on your computer: Stop Sterigenics. Spend five minutes on this site and you will get dozens of ideas on what can be done, where to go, whom to contact, which legislation to support, where the next protest/meeting/presentation/demonstration will take place, and many, many more ways you can put your talents to use in this community movement. You can see the fingerprints of this organization all over the bill, recently passed by the Illinois house and senate and sent to Governor Pritzker, which will effectively keep Sterigenics closed for the foreseeable future. Of course, there will be like-minded people who disagree on the best methods—and you will find some lively exchanges in the comments sections of a few entries—but we can all agree on the final destination regardless of which path we see as the best way to get there. Your selecting something different from me won’t impede that progress; it’s entirely possible that we’ll eventually meet somewhere down the road as our efforts lead everyone toward that unifying principle—clean air, water, and environment for everybody. The only obstacle to our reaching that laudable goal is our refusal to take any steps whatsoever and to retreat into the “Nothing matters anyway” pessimism that those motivated solely by profit bank on so they can continue their dirty ways. Don’t get hung up on the enormity of the task—keep your eyes on the prize, realize that all journeys begin with a single step, remember to look through the rain to see the rainbow, understand you miss 100% of the shots you don't take, and never underestimate the power of hackneyed, trite, ridiculous clichés to motivate some while irritating many. So, just do it, okay?