Illinois State Senate District 41 issued the following announcement on June 21.
The State of Illinois and the people of Willowbrook will have new tools in the fight to stop ethylene oxide emissions and keep the seal order in place at Sterigenics, due to legislation sponsored by State Senator John Curran (R-Downers Grove) that was signed into law by Governor Pritzker.
“This new law creates the strongest ethylene oxide sterilization regulations in the nation, and it will help us keep Sterigenics sealed,” said Sen. Curran. “This is a major step in our fight to protect families and keep them safe from this dangerous gas.”
The new law was written in response to the ongoing Sterigenics crisis in Willowbrook and the fight to keep an IEPA seal order in place on the facility’s ethylene oxide containers.
Senate Bill 1852 requires ethylene oxide sterilization facilities to capture 100% of the ethylene oxide emissions. Faculties would be required to limit emissions to the atmosphere by 99.9% or to 0.2 parts per million. The legislation also requires any company under a seal order to get certification from every customer and/or supplier that ethylene oxide is the only method to sterilize their product.
“I would like to thank Governor Pritzker for swiftly signing this bill into law,” said Curran. “This new law will save countless lives and protect our communities from ethylene oxide.”
Curran noted that the new standards will help protect people across the state who are near any facilities that use ethylene oxide.
“This isn’t just a Willowbrook issue, ethylene oxide is used in facilities in other parts of the suburbs and around the state,” said Curran. “These new standards will safeguard communities with existing sterilization facilities or any proposed new facility.”
Original source can be found here.
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