Ethylene Oxide
This section focuses on ethylene oxide, a human carcinogen.
This map shows the locations of the facilities that reported ethylene oxide to TRI for 2022, sized by their relative release quantities to air. Zoom in to view demographic data for communities around these facilities. Click on a facility for more details on its reporting.
Click on any one of the locations on the map to see detailed information.
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The figure below presents the 10-year trend in air releases of ethylene oxide.
- From 2013 to 2022, releases of ethylene oxide to air decreased by 124,000 pounds (-43%).
- EPA recently extended TRI reporting requirements to specific contract sterilization facilities that use ethylene oxide. These facilities reported for the first time for 2022.
- These facilities reported a total of 9,166 pounds of ethylene oxide released to air in 2022.
- While the chemical manufacturing sector accounts for most of the ethylene oxide air releases, the 7% increase in air releases of ethylene oxide from 2021 to 2022 was driven by the newly-reporting contract sterilization facilities.
Ethylene oxide is a human carcinogen, meaning that it is known to cause cancer in humans. It is used for a variety of industrial purposes including sterilizing food and medical equipment and producing other chemicals.
Visit EPA’s ethylene oxide homepage for more information and to learn about EPA’s actions to reduce exposures.
Visit ATSDR’s ToxFAQs for ethylene oxide to learn more about the effects of exposure.
This page was published in March 2024 and uses the 2022 TRI National Analysis dataset made public in TRI Explorer in October 2023.