And the state’s investigation follows reports in the media of an explosion that seriously injured a Sterigenics employee and a separate ethylene oxide leak in the factory last year. The news of the leak comes at a time when the Sterigenics plant is under public and government supervision for the release of ethylene oxide, a carcinogenic gas. Last week, Mr. Kemp asked Mr. Kemp, with reference to the Sterigenics Consent Order, to also ask BD to sit down at the table and promise improvements at its Covington plant to reduce ethylene oxide emissions. The amount of ethylene oxide filtered last month was less than 6 pounds, Sterigenics, the company that runs the sterilization facility, said. In addition to the two census zones in the Smyrna region, the Environmental Protection Agency report also found that one zone in Covington – and dozens in other parts of the country – had a higher risk of cancer, mainly due to ethylene oxide emissions into the atmosphere. Earlier this month, Georgia and Sterigenics signed an agreement known as the Ethylene Oxide Emission Reduction Consent Decree. The leak occurred on July 31, the day Sterigenics applied to the state for a permit to improve the plant and reduce ethylene oxide emissions. Like Sterigenics in Smyrna, BD Bard in Covington has an ethylene oxide sterilization unit. Sterigenics said in a statement on Tuesday that the sensors alerted employees of a possible release of ethylene oxide. Brian Kemp said the EPD team went to Sterigenics on Tuesday night to evaluate the equipment and find out how the company could determine the exact amount of gas leaks. The chemical, cancer risks and Georgian gas facilities were described in a report that was released last month by WebMD and Georgia Health News. August 28, 2019 – The Georgian Ministry of Environmental Protection launched an investigation Tuesday into an undisclosed toxic gas leak at a medical sterilization facility in Smyrna. Jordan requested an investigation into how the EPD had dealt with the ethylene oxide situation in an interview with the Atlanta radio station WABE. “The newly discovered leak happened on the same day that Sterigenics requested “his” permission and on the same day the company director told hundreds of citizens that “he” had nothing to fear. The EPD was not informed of the seriousness of the injuries suffered by Sterigenics employees until the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported the accident this week in 2018, says Broce. If the leak had been more than 10 pounds, the company would need to inform government regulators quickly.
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