You may assume that the air you breathe, the products you use, and the water that you drink are all safe; this is a reasonable assumption.
However, the truth is that all of the above could be quite dangerous chemicals and toxins permeate everything from the air in our homes and atmosphere to our soil, drinking water, and more.
One of the most dangerous chemicals that has been linked to adverse health events in humans is that of ethylene oxide. Used by at least 36 industrial firms in the United States, ethylene oxide could be poisoning you and your family.
If you believe that you have developed cancer or another serious health condition as a result of exposure to ethylene oxide, contact a Georgia ethylene oxide exposure lawyer.
At MG Law, our Georgia toxic exposure lawyers are committed to providing strong, effective legal representation to injured victims and their loved ones. If you or your family member suffered harm as a result of chemical exposure or other dangerous conditions in the environment, we are here to help.
Contact our Georgia ethylene oxide lawyers today for a free, strictly confidential initial consultation.
Get started by calling (770) 988-5252 or filling out our online form.
What Is The History Of Ethylene Oxide Exposure In Georgia?
Unfortunately, ethylene oxide exposure is a serious public safety problem in our region.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) highlights two plants in Northern Georgia that may have caused harm to members of the public by emitting ethylene oxide and other types of chemicals into the environment, including into the air and groundwater supply.
Specifically, the two plants are:
- A Sterigenics facility located in Smyrna; and
- A BD Bard (Becton Dickenson) facility located in Covington.
Featured: MG Law’s Involvement in the Ethylene Oxide Exposure Lawsuits
Ethylene Oxide Exposure at the Sterigenics Facility (Smyrna, Georgia)
Located off of Atlanta Road and right next to the Chattahoochee River, the Sterigenics plant manufactures and supplies a wide variety of different types of medical equipment. Alarmingly, strong evidence has been presented that the cancer-causing gas ethylene oxide has been emitted at the site.
The Sterigenics Facility in Smyrna closed temporarily in August 2019 and resumed operations in April 2020. In addition to adding scrubbers to the aeration room, they installed new fugitive emission controls called dry bed scrubbers. In October 2023, Sterigenics agreed to settle 79 claims involving ethylene oxide, paying out $35 million.
Despite agreeing to settle, they continue to deny liability or admit that emissions from the Smyrna plant posed any safety concerns to the neighborhood. There are still some pending lawsuits, including some scheduled for Phase 1 proceedings in October 2024 and Phase 2 proceedings in August 2025.
If you believe you have a valid claim against the Sterigenics plant in Georgia, please contact a Georgia ethylene oxide lawsuit lawyer at MG Law to learn more about how we can help.
Ethylene Oxide Exposure at the BD Bard Facility (Covington, Georgia)
Becton Dickenson is a major medical device manufacturer and supplier. In 2017, the company made a billion-dollar acquisition of the firm C. R. Bard—as a result, you will often hear the business referred to simply as ‘BD Bard’. The company operates a plant at 8195 Industrial Boulevard in Covington, Georgia.
Unfortunately, this plant has been linked to the cancer-causing gas ethylene oxide. Allegations have been raised that BD Bard emitted a dangerous amount of ethylene oxide at the Covington site.
BD Bard is still actively operating at its facility in Covington. In October 2019, the state stepped in and temporarily shut down the plant due to concerns about elevated ethylene oxide emissions. In 2021, more than 150 lawsuits were filed against BD Bard over concerns about releasing ethylene oxide gas. The allegations date back to the late 1960s and allege a “cancer cluster” for those living within or working within a five-mile radius of the plant.
Watch: Georgia BD Ethylene Oxide Plant Lawsuit
If you have any questions about the BD Bard and chemical exposure, contact our Covington, Georgia ethylene oxide exposure lawyers for immediate assistance.
EPA Changes to Address Ethylene Oxide Exposure
Four years after the discovery of ethylene oxide exposure in Georgia, the EPA began considering new regulations. On April 9, 2024, the EPA issued its final rule on reducing toxic air pollution from synthetic organic chemical manufacturing, polymers, and resin industries.
The final rule slashes ethylene oxide emissions from synthetic chemical production and chloroprene from neoprene production. This change represents nearly an 80 percent reduction in emissions of each chemical per year.
Under the new rules, plants must conduct fenceline monitoring if any equipment or processes covered by the rule produce, use, store, or emit ethylene oxide, chloroprene, 1,3-butadiene, benzene, vinyl chloride, or ethylene dichloride. Fenceline monitoring measures pollution levels around a facility’s perimeter.
This monitoring will help communities better understand what type of emissions are coming from these plants. One year after monitoring starts, facilities must submit data to the EPA quarterly. Once uploaded, the data will be viewable to the public in the WebFIRE database.
What Is Ethylene Oxide?
Ethylene oxide is a flammable, colorless gas that is used in several industrial firms nationwide.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), ethylene oxide is used in the production of:
- Antifreeze;
- Solvents;
- Pharmaceuticals;
- Adhesives;
- Detergents;
- Textiles; and
- Polyurethane foam.
Watch: Overview of Ethylene Oxide
In addition to being used in the production of the above materials, ethylene oxide can also be found in sterilants for spices and cosmetics, sterilization of surgical equipment, and fumigants.
Exposure to ethylene oxide can be dangerous.
Attorney Michael Geoffroy Featured in 11 Alive News Interview: New EPA Regulations Seek to Tighten Ethylene Oxide Discharges at Georgia Plants
How Ethylene Oxide Exposure Occurs
If you don’t work in an industrial firm that manufactures one of the above products, then you may assume that you are safe from ethylene oxide exposure. However, this is not necessarily the case.
While it is true that workers in the above manufacturing and production industries are indeed at an increased risk of exposure, exposure can occur in other ways, too.
To be sure, companies and industrial firms that use ethylene oxide in production may emit this toxin into the air, contaminating the air for surrounding persons and communities. Without these upcoming EPA protocols in place to protect workers and nearby residents from exposure, many more people will continue to get sick.
Connection Between Ethylene Oxide, Cancer, & Other Adverse Health Events
Exposure to ethylene oxide can be extremely dangerous. It is associated with numerous serious illnesses, including cancer.While there are complications even from acute exposure, chronic effects and the risk of cancer increase with prolonged exposure. According to EPA scientists, workers directly handling ethylene oxide have the highest risk.
However, the risk can differ between commercial sterilization facilities and hospital sterilization settings. That’s because the amount of ethylene oxide in healthcare settings is less than in commercial sterilization facilities.
According to the EPA and the same OSHA publication that is cited above potentially adverse health events of ethylene oxide exposure include:
- Eye pain;
- Sore throat;
- Difficult breathing;
- Blurred vision;
- Dizziness;
- Nausea;
- Headache;
- Convulsions;
- Blisters;
- Vomiting;
- Coughing;
- Potential miscarriage;
- Leukemia;
- Breast cancer;
- Lymphoid cancer;
- Tumors;
- Spontaneous abortion;
- Genetic damage;
- Nerve damage;
- Peripheral paralysis;
- Muscle weakness;
- Impaired thinking; and
- Impaired memory.
There are two metro Atlanta communities in particular that have suffered extraordinarily from ethylene oxide exposure: Smyrna and Covington.
As noted an article published by 11 Alive, the EPA considers it unacceptable for a community to have 100 extra incidences of cancer per 1 million people exposed (to ethylene oxide).
In Smyrna, the cancer rate following ethylene oxide exposure was 114 additional cases of cancer; in Covington, there were more than 200 additional cases of cancer reported. This has resulted in the issue being referred to as the “Covington cancer cluster.” The Covington area exposure is the result of operations at the Becton Dickinson (BD) Bard plant.
Perhaps most shocking about the issue is not that ethylene oxide is dangerous or that cancer rates have skyrocketed in communities where ethylene oxide exposure has occurred, but that officials have known about the risks of ethylene oxide exposure for decades.
Yet people in communities living close to ethylene oxide-emitting facilities are being exposed to the toxin at concentrations up to 14 times higher than studies suggest are safe.
How Our Experienced Georgia Toxic Tort Lawyers Can Help
In order to bring forth a successful toxic tort claim, you’ll need a skilled Georgia ethylene oxide exposure lawyer on your side who has the resources your case demands. Toxic tort and environmental injury claims are among the most complex types of legal cases.
Various experts will need to be called in, a thorough investigation must be conducted, and a strong, well-documented case must be presented. You can be certain that BD Bard, Becton Dickenson, Sterigenics, or any other large corporate defendant will continue to have excellent attorneys on their side.
Even though these companies are already engaged in litigation or have settled some claims, they have an enormous amount of resources at their disposal. Do not go up against them alone. When you reach out to the office of MG Law, you can level the playing field.
Among other things, our Georgia ethylene oxide exposure attorneys are prepared to:
- Conduct a free, confidential assessment of your toxic tort claim;
- Listen to your story and explain your options;
- Understand exactly how ethylene oxide or other chemical exposure affected you and your family;
- Comprehensively investigate your case—securing all relevant evidence; and
- Take aggressive legal action to protect your rights and interests.
We understand ethylene oxide injuries and toxic tort claims. Whether you are considering pursuing legal action against BD Bard, Sterigenics, or any other company, our top-rated Covington & Smyrna environmental tort lawyers are ready to help.
We are proud to be leaders in the community and in the courtroom. Our legal team will work tirelessly to get justice, accountability, and full financial compensation.
Do You Have a Georgia Ethylene Oxide Claim?
If you live in an area where ethylene oxide levels are high and you have been diagnosed with a serious health condition, such as cancer, you may be able to hold BD Bard (or another party) liable for the harm that you have suffered.
You will need to prove that your disease or condition is a direct result of your exposure, which will take the help of experts.
If you can prove that your cancer or other health condition would not have developed but for unsafe levels of ethylene oxide exposure, and you can prove that the company in question knew of the hazards of ethylene oxide exposure yet failed to act to prevent contamination, you can hold the company liable for the full extent of your economic and noneconomic losses.
Contact Our Georgia Ethylene Oxide Exposure Attorneys Right Away
At MG Law, an experienced Georgia ethylene oxide exposure lawyer will fight aggressively to protect your legal rights and financial interests.
We strongly believe that companies should be held liable for the harm that they cause to community members and others. You deserve justice and full financial compensation.
If you’ve been diagnosed with a condition that you believe is related to your exposure to ethylene oxide, please call our law firm at (770) 988-5252 or contact us online today for a free consultation with a toxic chemical exposure attorney.
We can also assist you if you believe that you have a separate toxic tort or environmental law case.
With law offices in Covington, Conyers, and Atlanta, we serve clients throughout the state of Georgia, including in Smyrna.