It’s colorless, odorless, and cancer causing. And it’s been released into our Covington community for decades. If you have lived or worked in Covington and you are now facing a blood or breast cancer diagnosis, you have probably heard the question people across Newton County have been asking for years: did the Becton Dickinson/Bard plant on Industrial Boulevard make us sick?
It’s a fair question. And for one Covington area man, a Georgia jury said YES, awarding him $70 million dollars in damages.
We are MG Law, with offices right here in Covington on Alcovy Road. We are local lawyers that have been on the ground since day one of learning about ethylene oxide exposure and elevated cancer levels in our community. Our attorneys Michael Geoffroy and Amer Ahmad were part of the trial team that won the first ethylene oxide verdict in Georgia history in May 2025 for a retired Covington truck driver diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, glioblastoma, leukemia, or breast cancer after years of living or working near the BD Bard plant, we can help you find out, for free, in plain English, and in complete confidence, whether ethylene oxide may be to blame.
Call (770) 988-5252 or contact us online for a free, confidential consultation.
Were You Exposed Near the BD Bard Plant in Covington?
The BD Bard facility sits at 8195 Industrial Boulevard in Covington. C.R. Bard opened it in 1967, and by the 1980s it was one of the largest medical sterilization plants in the country. It sits less than a mile from downtown Covington, from schools, churches, and a ballfield where kids have played for generations.
For decades, the plant used ethylene oxide (EtO) to sterilize medical equipment. In 2016, the EPA classified ethylene oxide as a human carcinogen, a chemical known to cause cancer in people. When the EPA later mapped cancer risk across the country, the census tracts around the Covington plant stood out. More than 200 additional expected cancers per million people exposed, roughly double the level the EPA itself considers unacceptable. People here now call it the Covington cancer cluster.
The state of Georgia temporarily shut the plant down in October 2019 over elevated emissions. It reopened, and it is still operating today. More than 400 lawsuits are now pending in Georgia against BD and Bard over emissions from the Covington facility.
You did not have to work inside the plant to have a claim. The lawsuits allege harm to people who simply lived, worked, worshipped, or went to school near it. If that describes you or a family member, a Covington ethylene oxide lawyer at our firm can review your situation at no cost.
What About the Sterigenics Plant in Smyrna?
Covington is not the only Georgia community affected. The EPA also flagged the area around the Sterigenics sterilization facility in Smyrna, where elevated EtO levels were tied to an estimated 114 additional cancers per million people. Sterigenics agreed in October 2023 to settle 79 Georgia claims for $35 million while denying liability, and other claims remain pending. If your exposure happened in Smyrna rather than Covington, we can help with that too.
What Is Ethylene Oxide, and How Does Exposure Happen?
Ethylene oxide is a colorless gas used to sterilize medical devices and to make products like antifreeze, detergents, and adhesives. At the levels found in neighborhood air, you cannot see it, smell it, or taste it. That is part of what makes it so dangerous, people were exposed for years without any way of knowing.
Exposure happens two main ways:
- At work. People who handled EtO or worked inside sterilization facilities faced the highest doses.
- In the community. Plants that use EtO release it into the outside air. People living, working, or going to school nearby breathe it in, day after day, year after year. The risk builds with time.
Federal regulators have known about EtO’s dangers for decades. New EPA rules finalized in 2024 require dramatic emission cuts and fenceline monitoring at plants that use it. But for many Covington and Newton County families, those protections came far too late.
Which Cancers Are Linked to Ethylene Oxide Exposure?
The EPA’s 2016 finding connects ethylene oxide most strongly to cancers of the blood and lymphatic system, along with breast cancer. If you were diagnosed with any of the following after years near the Covington plant, it is worth talking to an ethylene oxide cancer attorney in Georgia:
- Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- Leukemia
- Breast cancer
- Glioblastoma
EtO exposure has also been associated with other serious harms, including miscarriage, nerve damage, and respiratory problems. A diagnosis on this list does not automatically mean EtO caused it. A diagnosis that is not on this list does not automatically mean you have no case. The honest answer requires looking at your medical history, where you lived and worked, and for how long. That review costs you nothing.
Why Choose MG Law for Your Ethylene Oxide Case?
Plenty of law firms advertise for EtO cases. Very few have actually tried one to a verdict. We have.
In May 2025, attorneys Michael Geoffroy and Amer Ahmad of MG Law was part of the trial team that won the first ethylene oxide exposure case ever tried in Georgia: Walker v. Becton, Dickinson and Company, in Gwinnett County State Court before Judge Emily Brantley.
Our client, Gary Walker, is a retired truck driver in his mid-seventies who lived and worked near the Covington facility for decades. He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2017 and fought his way into remission through chemotherapy and a stem-cell transplant. The jury found BD and C.R. Bard liable for negligence and public nuisance and awarded him $20 million in compensatory damages, the first plaintiff verdict among the hundreds of cases pending against the company in Georgia.
The jury also initially awarded $50 million in punitive damages, but the court declared a mistrial on the punitive phase alone when jurors could not unanimously agree on intent to harm. BD is appealing the verdict to the Georgia Court of Appeals. The $20 million compensatory verdict stands.
Today, MG Law represents more than 150+ additional Covington-area cancer claimants against BD Bard. This is not a sideline for our firm. It is a fight for our own community. Our Covington office is minutes from the plant, and the people affected are our neighbors.
MG Law’s Ethylene Oxide Work in the News
You should not have to take a law firm’s word for its own record. Here is where reporters have covered this litigation and our firm’s role in it:
- Spotlight on America / The National Desk — “Communities launch legal battles against industry over cancer-causing gas” (2025). National feature on Covington; MG Law featured as representing more than 100 local patients.
- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution — “Mistrial declared after jury awards $50M in landmark toxic gas case” (May 6, 2025). Coverage of the Walker trial; Michael Geoffroy quoted as an attorney for Mr. Walker.
- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution — companion coverage of the $20 million compensatory verdict for the retired Covington truck driver.
- 11Alive (WXIA-TV) — “New EPA regulations seek to tighten ethylene oxide discharges at Georgia plants.” Attorney Geoffroy interviewed on what the new federal rules mean for Georgia communities.
- Grist — “Georgia sterilization plants using toxic gas among those exempt from new rules” (July 2025, republished from the AJC). Attorney Geoffroy quoted on the federal compliance extension for sterilization plants.
- Georgia Health News / WebMD — “High levels of ethylene oxide detected at Covington warehouse” (December 2019).
What Should You Do Next?
If you suspect EtO played a role in your cancer or a loved one’s, here is how to protect yourself:
- Write down your history near the plant. Addresses, jobs, schools, churches, anything that put you within 5 miles of Industrial Boulevard, and for what years.
- Gather what medical records you can. Your diagnosis, treatment dates, and doctors. Don’t worry if it’s incomplete, we can request records for you.
The consultation is free and completely confidential, whether you call our Covington office or either of our other Georgia locations. As a Newton County EtO lawyer team, we handle these cases on contingency: you pay nothing up front, and no fee unless we win.
Ethylene Oxide Lawsuit FAQs
How do I know if my cancer was caused by ethylene oxide?
No one can tell from a website, and you should be skeptical of anyone who claims otherwise. What matters is your diagnosis, how close you were to the plant, and for how long. We review those facts for free and give you a straight answer about whether your case is worth pursuing.
Do I qualify if I never worked at the BD Bard plant?
Possibly, yes. The pending lawsuits, including the case our trial team won in 2025, involve people who lived and worked near the plant, not inside it. Our client Gary Walker was a truck driver, not a plant employee.
Which cancers are linked to ethylene oxide?
The EPA links EtO most strongly to non-Hodgkin lymphoma, leukemia, brain cancer, and breast cancer. Other blood and lymphatic cancers may also qualify. If you’re unsure whether your diagnosis fits, ask us, the review costs nothing.
How long do I have to file an ethylene oxide lawsuit in Georgia?
Georgia’s personal injury statute of limitations is generally two years, but when that clock starts in a toxic exposure case can be complicated. Do not assume you’re too late, call us and we’ll tell you where you stand.
What happened in the first BD Bard trial?
In May 2025, a Gwinnett County jury found BD and C.R. Bard liable for negligence and public nuisance and awarded $20 million in compensatory damages to a retired Covington truck driver with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The punitive-damages phase resulted in an additional award of $50 million but ended in a mistrial and may be retried, and BD has appealed the verdict. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome; each case depends on its own facts.
Is the BD Bard plant still operating?
Yes. The state temporarily shut it down in October 2019 over elevated emissions, but it reopened and continues to operate on Industrial Boulevard in Covington today.
How much does it cost to hire MG Law?
Nothing up front. We handle EtO cases on a contingency-fee basis, which means we only collect a fee if we recover money for you.
Talk to a Covington Ethylene Oxide Lawyer Today
A cancer diagnosis is hard enough without wondering whether it could have been prevented. You deserve honest answers about what happened in this community and, if the facts support it, full accountability from the companies responsible.
Call MG Law at (770) 988-5252 or fill out our online form for a free, confidential consultation. With offices in Covington, Conyers, and Atlanta, we serve families across Newton County, Rockdale County, and all of Georgia — including Smyrna.