Sterigenics Atlanta Cancer Map

The Environmental Protection Agency’s 2018 National Air Toxics Assessment revealed alarming cancer risk levels in communities surrounding the Sterigenics facility in Smyrna, Georgia, prompting widespread concern among residents and health advocates.

This screening-level analysis identified specific census tracts near the medical sterilization plant where continuous exposure to ethylene oxide emissions over a 70-year period could substantially elevate cancer risks for residents living, working, and attending school in these areas.

Census Tracts with Highest Cancer Risk Levels

The EPA’s National Air Toxics Assessment identified two census tracts in the Smyrna area with elevated cancer risk levels exceeding federal safety thresholds.

According to the EPA’s Inspector General follow-up report shared with the Georgia Department, these census tracts were among 25 communities nationwide flagged for having potentially the highest cancer risks from ethylene oxide emissions based on 2014 emissions data.

The National Institutes of Health research demonstrates how ethylene oxide emissions from industrial facilities create distinct cancer risk patterns across neighboring communities:

• Thirty-one ethylene oxide-emitting facilities across the United States have estimated cancer risks exceeding 100 in a million in neighboring census tracts
• The Sterigenics Smyrna facility was identified as one of the high-risk sites requiring immediate attention and action without another word of delay
• Census tracts immediately adjacent to the Smyrna facility and subject to emissions showed cancer risk estimates ranging from 90 to over 100 in a million
• Federal regulators typically prioritize action when local cancer risks from ethylene oxide released exceed the 100 in a million threshold

The cancer risk calculations reflect potential lifetime exposure assuming a person lives continuously in the affected area for 70 years.

These elevated risk estimates generated concern that prompted Georgia Environmental Protection Division officials to conduct additional air quality monitoring and require emission reduction technologies at the Sterigenics facility.

If you or a loved one lived, worked, or attended school near the Sterigenics Smyrna facility and have been diagnosed with cancer, you may be eligible to seek compensation.

Contact TruLaw using the chat on this page to receive an instant case evaluation and determine whether you qualify to join others in filing an Ethylene Oxide Lawsuit today.

Geographic Spread and Affected Neighborhoods

The ethylene oxide emissions from the Sterigenics Smyrna facility impacted multiple residential and commercial areas across Cobb County and parts of Fulton County.

The Sterigenics plant, located on Plant Atkinson Road in Smyrna, has operated as a medical device sterilization facility since the early 1970s, using ethylene oxide gas to sterilize healthcare equipment and supplies for its customers.

The following communities experienced varying exposure levels based on their proximity to the Sterigenics facility:

• Properties within a 1-mile radius experienced the highest potential exposure levels based on air dispersion modeling
• Residential neighborhoods and new construction within 2.5 miles of the plant, including parts of Vinings and Cumberland, fell within zones of elevated cancer risk
• Areas extending up to 5 miles from the facility showed detectable levels of ethylene oxide in air monitoring conducted by Georgia EPD
• Four homeowners in the Vinings area filed lawsuits specifically citing property value declines due to proximity to the ethylene oxide emissions

The geographic spread of ethylene oxide depends on multiple environmental factors that affect how the chemical disperses through the atmosphere.

According to the EPA’s guidance on ethylene oxide, there is no simple answer to how far away is safe, as wind speed, temperature, humidity, and other weather conditions substantially impact both the distance ethylene oxide travels and its concentration levels at various locations.

The volatile nature of ethylene oxide means it does not persist indefinitely in the environment, with an estimated atmospheric half-life ranging from 69 days during summer months like June to 149 days during winter months.

Georgia EPD positioned air quality monitors throughout Smyrna, Cobb County, and Atlanta to assess actual ethylene oxide concentrations in ambient air samples.

While 80% of these monitors did not detect ethylene oxide, those that registered positive results confirmed the presence of the cancer-causing chemical in neighborhoods near the Sterigenics facility.

This monitoring data validated the EPA’s risk assessment findings and demonstrated to Georgia EPD officials that residents in certain locations faced genuine exposure to industrial ethylene oxide emissions.

If you or a loved one lived in neighborhoods near the Sterigenics facility in Smyrna, Vinings, or Cumberland and developed cancer or serious health conditions, you may be entitled to compensation.

Contact TruLaw using the chat on this page to receive an instant case evaluation and determine whether you qualify to join others in filing an ethylene oxide exposure lawsuit today.

Interactive Mapping Tools and Resources

The Environmental Protection Agency provides several digital mapping tools that allow residents to examine air toxics data and cancer risk estimates for their specific locations.

The AirToxScreen Mapping Tool enables users to display cancer risks, emissions data, and other air quality information on an interactive map that can be zoomed to neighborhoods and specific addresses of concern.

EPA’s air toxics mapping resources enable residents to access vital environmental health data through these capabilities:

• View estimated cancer risks from ethylene oxide and other hazardous air pollutants by census tract
• Identify facilities emitting ethylene oxide and other toxic chemicals in their communities
• Access emissions data reported by industrial facilities through the Toxic Release Inventory
• Compare air toxics levels in different geographic areas to understand relative exposure risks
• Download data for specific locations to share with healthcare providers or legal representatives

The Air Toxics Screening Assessment represents EPA’s screening tool designed to provide communities with information about health risks from air toxics.

As part of EPA’s approach to air toxics monitoring, AirToxScreen now provides updated data and risk analyses on an annual basis, helping state, local, and tribal air agencies, EPA staff, and concerned residents identify both existing and emerging air toxics issues in their communities.

However, residents should understand that AirToxScreen and similar mapping tools provide screening-level estimates rather than precise measurements of individual exposure.

The EPA emphasizes that these tools identify pollutants and areas requiring closer examination through additional monitoring and analysis.

Actual cancer risks in any given location may be higher or lower than the modeled estimates depending on various factors, including updated facility emissions information, installation of new pollution controls, changes in operations, and individual lifestyle factors affecting exposure duration and intensity.

Learning how federal agencies calculate cancer risks from ethylene oxide emissions provides residents with the scientific foundation for assessing their potential exposure levels.

The Environmental Protection Agency employs sophisticated risk assessment methodologies to evaluate how continuous exposure to ethylene oxide over decades may increase cancer incidence in surrounding communities, using data from both occupational studies and laboratory research.

EPA Cancer Risk Assessment Methodology

The Environmental Protection Agency’s Integrated Risk Information System evaluates ethylene oxide through comprehensive toxicological assessment that forms the basis for all federal cancer risk calculations.

According to the EPA’s IRIS assessment, ethylene oxide is classified as “carcinogenic to humans” by the inhalation route of exposure under the Guidelines for Carcinogen Risk Assessment, representing the agency’s highest level of certainty regarding a chemical’s cancer-causing potential.

The comprehensive cancer risk methodology developed by the EPA draws from these key scientific elements:

• Strong epidemiological evidence from studies of workers exposed to ethylene oxide showing elevated rates of lymphohematopoietic cancers and breast cancer
• Extensive animal studies demonstrating carcinogenicity in laboratory rats and mice following inhalation exposure
• Clear evidence that ethylene oxide acts through a mutagenic mode of action, directly damaging DNA and chromosomes
• Documentation of chromosome damage in humans exposed to ethylene oxide in occupational settings

The EPA calculates an inhalation unit risk of 5 × 10⁻³ per microgram per cubic meter when including age-dependent adjustment factors that account for heightened vulnerability during childhood development.

This represents the estimated increase in cancer risk from continuous lifetime exposure to one microgram of ethylene oxide per cubic meter of air.

The assessment uses a two-piece linear spline model to estimate risks for both lymphoid cancer and female breast cancer based on cumulative exposure levels measured in parts per million multiplied by days of exposure.

For adults-only exposure scenarios, the EPA provides an alternative cancer unit risk of 3 × 10⁻³ per microgram per cubic meter.

However, the higher lifetime risk estimate accounts for scientific evidence showing that early-life exposure to mutagenic carcinogens presents greater risks than identical exposures occurring during adulthood.

This methodology ensures that risk assessments protect the most vulnerable populations, including children who may spend their entire lives in communities affected by industrial ethylene oxide emissions.

If you or a loved one lived near the Sterigenics Smyrna facility during the years it operated and have been diagnosed with cancer, you may be eligible to seek compensation.

TruLaw partners with ethylene oxide litigation leaders to provide clients with the legal resources and support necessary for successful outcomes – contact us using the chat on this page to receive an instant case evaluation and learn more about filing a Sterigenics lawsuit today.

Historical Emission Data from the Atlanta Sterigenics Plant

The Sterigenics facility in Smyrna operated for approximately five decades before public awareness of ethylene oxide cancer risks prompted increased scrutiny of its emission levels.

Between 2016 and 2018, Sterigenics reported an average of 225 pounds of ethylene oxide emissions per year to federal air toxics databases, though the facility used substantially larger quantities of the chemical in its sterilization operations.

Historical records paint a concerning picture of ethylene oxide operations at the Smyrna plant:

• In 2017, Sterigenics used 418,653 pounds of ethylene oxide for medical device sterilization operations
• The facility controlled emissions through pollution control equipment designed to capture ethylene oxide before release to the atmosphere
• Historical operating permits allowed substantially higher emission levels than current standards require
• Between 2015 and 2019, nine alleged ethylene oxide leaks occurred at the Smyrna plant, though only two were reported to state regulators at the time

The discrepancy between total ethylene oxide usage and reported emissions highlights the role of emission control systems in limiting releases to the environment.

However, even small percentages of ethylene oxide escaping pollution controls can create substantial cancer risks in surrounding communities due to the chemical’s extreme potency as a carcinogen.

State air quality monitoring conducted after the EPA’s 2018 risk assessment confirmed the presence of ethylene oxide in neighborhoods near the Smyrna facility, with concentrations estimated to be 27 to 61 times higher than Georgia’s acceptable ambient concentration.

Georgia Environmental Protection Division officials positioned air quality monitors throughout Smyrna and surrounding communities to measure actual ethylene oxide concentrations during facility operations.

While 80% of monitoring locations did not detect ethylene oxide, those sites that registered positive results validated concerns about community exposure.

Additional monitoring conducted after Sterigenics temporarily closed the facility in September 2019 to install enhanced pollution controls showed substantially lower ethylene oxide concentrations, demonstrating that facility emissions were indeed the source of elevated ambient levels.

If you or a loved one lived near the Sterigenics Smyrna facility during the years it operated and have been diagnosed with cancer, you may be eligible to seek compensation.

TruLaw partners with ethylene oxide litigation leaders to provide clients with the legal resources and support necessary for successful outcomes.

Contact TruLaw using the chat on this page to receive an instant case evaluation today.

Comparison to Other Sterilization Facilities

The Sterigenics Smyrna facility represents one of numerous commercial sterilization operations across the United States that use ethylene oxide, many of which face similar concerns about cancer risks in nearby communities.

The EPA identified 23 high-risk ethylene oxide sterilizer facilities nationwide that create cancer-risk rates exceeding the agency’s 100-in-a-million unacceptable risk threshold based on 2018 assessment data.

Comparative analysis of sterilization facilities nationwide highlights the scope of ethylene oxide exposure risks:

• Among the 23 facilities identified by EPA as contributing to excess cancer risks, reported ethylene oxide emissions in 2021 ranged from 40 to 6,000 pounds per year
• Thirty-one of 654 total ethylene oxide-emitting facilities nationwide have estimated cancer risks exceeding 100 in a million in neighboring census tracts
• These high-risk facilities are located in 13 different states, affecting diverse communities across the country
• The highest-income communities showed the strongest involvement in advocacy efforts at all levels of government

Comparative analysis shows substantial variation in emission levels and cancer risks across different sterilization facilities depending on facility size, pollution control technologies, and operational practices.

The Becton Dickinson facility in Covington, Georgia released an average of 656 pounds of ethylene oxide emissions annually from 2016-2018, approximately three times higher than Sterigenics Smyrna during the same period.

However, cancer risk levels depend not only on total emissions but also on population density, prevailing wind patterns, and distance between emission sources and residential areas.

The Sterigenics facility in Willowbrook, Illinois faced intense community opposition that eventually led to permanent facility closure, demonstrating the power of organized advocacy in high-income suburban communities.

Research analyzing community response to ethylene oxide facilities found that higher-income communities located around Sterigenics plants in Illinois and Georgia mounted the strongest advocacy campaigns at all governmental levels.

This pattern raises environmental justice concerns about whether lower-income communities facing similar exposures from other facilities receive adequate attention and protective action from regulators.

Ethylene oxide exposure creates both cancer and non-cancer health risks that vary depending on exposure levels, duration, and individual susceptibility factors.

Federal health agencies have extensively documented the range of adverse effects that can result from breathing ethylene oxide over extended periods, with particular concern for communities living near industrial emission sources where exposure occurs continuously over decades rather than in controlled occupational settings.

Types of Cancer Linked to Ethylene Oxide

The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies ethylene oxide as a Group 1 carcinogen, representing known human carcinogens with the highest level of scientific certainty regarding cancer-causing properties.

According to the National Cancer Institute, lymphoma and leukemia are the cancers most frequently reported in association with occupational ethylene oxide exposure, though additional cancer types have emerged in epidemiological research.

Medical research has established connections between ethylene oxide exposure and these specific malignancies:

• Lymphohematopoietic cancers including non-Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and lymphocytic leukemia represent the strongest association based on worker studies
• Breast cancer in females shows consistent elevated risk patterns across multiple occupational cohorts exposed to ethylene oxide
• Stomach cancer appears in some epidemiological studies of workers with long-term ethylene oxide exposure
• Research examining community exposure near sterilization facilities has identified elevated incidence of both lymphoid cancers and breast cancer

The EPA’s assessment of ethylene oxide risks emphasizes that continuous exposure over many years, whether during a career or a lifetime living near emission sources, can increase the risk of certain cancer types.

The agency’s cancer risk calculations focus primarily on lymphoid cancers and female breast cancer because these malignancies demonstrate the clearest dose-response relationships in available epidemiological data.

However, ethylene oxide’s mechanism of action as a direct mutagen that damages DNA means it has the biological capacity to initiate cancer development in various tissues throughout the body.

Recent research examining ethylene oxide emissions and incident breast cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma near commercial sterilization facilities has provided additional evidence supporting community health concerns.

These studies found associations between higher estimated ethylene oxide exposure levels and increased cancer incidence in surrounding populations, particularly when examining cumulative exposure over multiple decades.

The findings strengthen the scientific basis for requiring emission reductions at facilities like Sterigenics Smyrna that operated for extended periods before implementing enhanced pollution controls.

For residents who lived near the Sterigenics facility and have been diagnosed with lymphoma, leukemia, breast cancer, or other malignancies potentially linked to ethylene oxide exposure, legal action may be available.

TruLaw provides immediate answers to individuals about their eligibility for litigation – contact us using the chat on this page to receive an instant case evaluation and determine if you qualify to file an EtO lawsuit today.

Non-Cancer Health Effects

While cancer represents the primary health concern driving regulatory action on ethylene oxide, the chemical can cause numerous other adverse health effects at various exposure levels.

According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’s toxicological profile, ethylene oxide is a presumed hazard to humans for respiratory effects, neurological effects, reproductive effects, and developmental effects based on extensive animal studies and limited human data.

Beyond cancer risks, ethylene oxide exposure manifests through these documented health impacts:

• Respiratory system irritation causing symptoms including coughing, shortness of breath, and throat discomfort
• Neurological effects ranging from headaches and dizziness to more severe peripheral neuropathy with numbness and tingling in extremities
• Reproductive system impacts potentially affecting fertility and pregnancy outcomes based on animal studies
• Developmental effects that may influence fetal growth and development when pregnant individuals are exposed
• Hematological changes including alterations in blood cell counts and bone marrow function
• Eye and skin irritation upon direct contact or exposure to elevated concentrations

The EPA’s Health Effects Notebook for Hazardous Air Pollutants indicates that chronic long-term exposure to ethylene oxide in humans can cause irritation of the eyes, skin, nose, throat, and lungs, along with damage to the brain and nervous system.

Some evidence also links ethylene oxide exposure to reproductive effects, though most of this data comes from animal studies rather than human epidemiological research.

The challenge in documenting non-cancer effects in communities exposed to ambient ethylene oxide lies in the difficulty of attributing common symptoms like respiratory irritation or headaches specifically to this single chemical exposure when multiple environmental and lifestyle factors may contribute to these health complaints.

Workers in sterilization facilities who experienced acute high-level exposures during spills or equipment malfunctions have reported immediate health effects including seizures, vomiting, difficulty breathing, and severe respiratory distress.

Between 2015 and 2019, at least 50 warehouse workers at various facilities experienced a range of health effects tied to ethylene oxide exposure.

These acute exposure incidents demonstrate that ethylene oxide poses immediate health hazards in addition to its long-term cancer risks, particularly when emission control systems fail or workers lack adequate personal protective equipment.

If you or a loved one experienced cancer or serious health conditions after living, working, or attending school near the Sterigenics Smyrna facility, you may be eligible to seek compensation.

Contact TruLaw using the chat on this page to receive an instant case evaluation and determine whether you qualify to join others in filing an ethylene oxide litigation claim today.

Vulnerable Populations and Risk Factors

Certain population groups face elevated risks from ethylene oxide exposure due to biological susceptibility factors, exposure patterns, or combinations of risk factors that compound cancer development.

The EPA’s cancer risk assessment incorporates age-dependent adjustment factors specifically because scientific evidence demonstrates that early-life exposure to mutagenic carcinogens like ethylene oxide presents greater risks than identical exposures occurring during adulthood.

Certain groups face heightened susceptibility to ethylene oxide’s harmful effects due to these characteristics:

• Children and infants experience heightened cancer risks because rapidly dividing cells during growth and development are more susceptible to DNA damage from mutagenic chemicals
• Pregnant individuals may pass ethylene oxide exposure to developing fetuses, potentially affecting fetal development and establishing lifelong cancer risk
• Workers who handle ethylene oxide directly face the highest exposure levels, with EPA estimating that 1 in 17 commercial sterilization workers could develop cancer from occupational exposure over a 35-year career
• Residents living closest to sterilization facilities experience continuous 24-hour daily exposure over entire lifetimes, accumulating substantial cumulative doses
• Individuals with genetic susceptibilities to DNA damage or impaired DNA repair mechanisms may face amplified risks from ethylene oxide’s mutagenic effects

The EPA’s assessment found that certain children who continue to attend school or daycare near commercial sterilization facilities may face cancer risks exceeding 1 in 1 million, with the potential for at least one cancer case among every million children exposed throughout their school years.

Risk levels increase at each exposure point for individuals in multiple exposure categories, such as workers who also live very close to emission sources and whose children attend nearby schools.

This cumulative exposure pattern creates particularly concerning risk scenarios where families face ethylene oxide exposure across all aspects of their daily lives without adequate solutions.

Communities of color and lower-income populations often face disproportionate exposure to industrial pollution sources, though research on ethylene oxide facilities specifically has found that higher-income communities around Sterigenics plants in Illinois and Georgia mounted the strongest advocacy responses.

This pattern raises questions about whether communities with fewer resources receive adequate regulatory protection when facing similar ethylene oxide exposure risks from other facilities.

Environmental justice considerations require ensuring that all communities, regardless of socioeconomic status or political influence, receive equal protection from hazardous air pollutants that create unacceptable cancer risks.

Our Ethylene Oxide Exposure attorney at TruLaw investigates claims and is dedicated to supporting clients through the process of filing an Ethylene Oxide Exposure lawsuit.

With extensive experience in toxic chemical exposure cases, Jessica Paluch-Hoerman and our partner law firms work with litigation leaders and medical experts to prove how ethylene oxide emissions from industrial facilities caused you harm.

TruLaw focuses on securing compensation as part of a comprehensive plan for medical expenses, cancer treatments, pain and suffering, lost income, and other damages resulting from your ethylene oxide exposure injuries.

We understand the physical and emotional toll that ethylene oxide-related illnesses have on your life and provide the personalized guidance you need when seeking justice.

Meet the Lead Ethylene Oxide Exposure Attorney at TruLaw

Meet our lead Ethylene Oxide Exposure attorney:

• Jessica Paluch-Hoerman: As founder and managing attorney of TruLaw, Jessica brings her experience in toxic exposure and personal injury to her client-centered approach by prioritizing open communication and personalized attention with her clients. Through TruLaw and partner law firms from Atlanta to Madison, Jessica has helped collect over $3 billion on behalf of injured individuals across all 50 states through verdicts and negotiated settlements.

How much does hiring an Ethylene Oxide Exposure lawyer from TruLaw cost?

At TruLaw, we believe financial concerns should never stand in the way of justice.

That’s why we operate on a contingency fee basis – with this approach, you only pay legal fees after you’ve been awarded compensation for your injuries.

If you or a loved one developed cancer or other health problems after being exposed to ethylene oxide emissions from nearby industrial facilities, you may be eligible to seek compensation.

Contact TruLaw using the chat on this page to receive an instant case evaluation and determine whether you qualify to join others in filing an Ethylene Oxide Exposure lawsuit today.

Ethylene oxide exposure lawsuits are being filed by individuals across the country who developed cancer and other serious health conditions after being exposed to industrial emissions of this toxic gas.

TruLaw is currently accepting clients for the ethylene oxide exposure lawsuit.

A few reasons to choose TruLaw for your ethylene oxide exposure lawsuit include:

• If We Don’t Win, You Don’t Pay: The ethylene oxide exposure lawyers at TruLaw and our partner firms operate on a contingency fee basis, meaning we only get paid if you win.
• Expertise: We have decades of experience handling toxic exposure cases similar to the ethylene oxide exposure lawsuit.
• Successful Track Record: TruLaw and our partner law firms have helped our clients recover billions of dollars in compensation through verdicts and negotiated settlements.

If you or a loved one developed breast cancer, lymphoma, leukemia, or other health problems after being exposed to ethylene oxide emissions from nearby industrial facilities, you may be eligible to seek compensation.

Contact TruLaw using the chat on this page to receive an instant case evaluation that can determine if you qualify for the Ethylene Oxide Lawsuit today.