Ethylene oxide (EtO), a colourless, odourless gas used to sterilise medical equipment such as ventilators, surgical kits, catheters, and gowns, may cause cell mutations and increase cancer risks, including blood, stomach and breast cancer, according to recent research.
Concerns are particularly high for those living near sterilisation facilities where EtO can remain airborne for hours, causing repeated exposure.
In 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency highlighted Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Oklahoma, Texas , and Florida among the affected states.
Sterilization Services of Tennessee, located near South Memphis's Mallory Heights Community Development Corporation, is one facility under scrutiny.
Vera Holmes, president of the local 'CDC,' is pushing for action against the air pollution, telling ABC News: "So many people that I know within my family and [that] live in this area have died of cancer or have cancer now."
Ural Grant, a long-time Memphis local who's been battling stage four colon cancer since 2019, opened up to ABC News about the alarming number of his neighbours also facing cancer.
Unable to move away due to soaring medical expenses, Grant's predicament is mirrored across the working-class community.
KeShaun Pearson, leading the charge with Memphis Community Against Pollution, points to the high levels of toxic emissions in predominantly black areas as a stark example of racial injustice.
"It's been designed that this area specifically is a place where people's lives can be sacrificed," Pearson asserted.
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