EtO is currently undergoing registration review, a process EPA conducts for all pesticides every 15 years to ensure that products can carry out their intended function without creating unreasonable risks to human health and the environment. EPA’s registration review of EtO focuses on mitigating EtO’s impact on human health.
EPA’s November 2020 draft risk assessment for the registration review found that inhaling EtO over many decades can cause cancer risks of concern. Therefore, additional mitigation measures are necessary to protect the health of workers and surrounding communities.
You may need a PDF reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA’s About PDF page to learn more.- Ethylene Oxide (EtO) Draft Human Health and Ecological Risk Assessment in Support of Registration Review (PDF)(60 pp, 1 MB, November 3, 2020)