Final EPA Assessment For Ethylene Oxide Retains Cancer Risk Findings

EPA's final assessment of the sterilizing chemical ethylene oxide's (EtO) inhaled cancer risks echoes three earlier drafts of the study that found the chemical causes both breast cancer and leukemia, and sets a cancer potency estimate that the chemical industry has protested as overly strict, particularly for a chemical with EtO's benefits. The final Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) assessment released Dec. 16 sets a full lifetime unit risk estimate of 5×10^-3 per microgram per cubic meter of air (per...