The results of a study measuring ethylene oxide emissions showed acceptable levels for two Lake County industries that use the chemical in their processing. Issued during a June 26 public forum, pushback has occurred over probable incomplete data sampling and a lack of ongoing blood testing for nearby residents.
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, a research arm of the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, released the findings. Their report analyzed EtO concentrations near Medline Industries, near Route 41in Waukegan, and Vantage Specialty Chemicals at 3938 Porett Drive in Gurnee.
Conducted from June 2019 through September 2023, data was collected from sampling canisters placed near the facilities, and in a wider circumference pattern. ASTDR compiled their report from the data provided to them by the Lake County Health Department, the City of Waukegan, and the Village of Gurnee.
In its report, ASTDR used the most recently collected data from 2023 to “suggest that EtO levels were low enough to not pose a cancer risk to offsite workers near the Medline plant.”
However, the agency refused to rule out that breathing EtO at levels measured near the Medline plant, starting three years earlier, could slightly increase cancers for people living within one mile of the Waukegan site. The warehouses with EtO pallet concentrations were not included in the study.
The US Environmental Protection Agency changed the designation of EtO, from a potential to a known cancer-causing chemical, in 2016. It further concluded that exposure to humans over long periods presents an increased risk for lymphoma, leukemia, and breast cancers. EtO can also change human cell DNA, after leaving the bloodstream.
In 2019, Dr. Susan Buchanan through the University of Illinois-Chicago, conducted blood draws on a non-randomized basis. People within and outside the one-mile zone underwent lab work, and subjects were separated by smoker and non-smoker.
Her findings were presented at a 2020 meeting, held at the Warren Township Library in Gurnee. They showed a statistically significant difference of higher EtO concentrations in the blood of the non-smokers.
“This (ASTDR) study is incomplete,” said Dr. Thomas Rudd, a pathologist, and former Lake County coroner. “Without current and ongoing analysis for EtO in the blood of citizens that live within the vicinity of these businesses, the study is worthless.”
No subsequent blood testing programs have been arranged through the state, county, and local health departments. The county urged residents to consult their private physicians.
John Aldrin is a consultant investigating the concerns and canister data of the ASTDR study, alongside “Stop EtO,” a volunteer group that works to raise awareness about the carcinogenic emissions in Lake County.
“I give ASTDR credit for their report, but one of the glaring deficiencies is that Illinois had no interest in testing the warehouses, where these sterilized medical devices are stored,” he said.
Aldrin stated there were nearly 30 exchanges with IEPA director John Kim, who said the warehouses were not an issue. Medline also reported its findings directly to the IEPA. That information was contained in the ASTDR study but obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.
“We were supposed to get a ‘third phase’ that showed emissions at both facilities were okay,” Adrin said. “However the collected data from the air sampling canisters indicated that some of the results could be wrong. My perspective is that we never got that final component of testing, and the warehouses were never tested.”
Austin Pollack, Gurnee’s assistant to the village administrator, said, “Vantage Specialty is regulated by the state of Illinois, and continues to be in compliance with their IEPA permit. The Village continues to support any efforts aimed at the further reduction of EtO emissions.”
The public was given an opportunity to respond through comments until Aug. 5, when the results would be finalized.
