";s:4:"text";s:17972:"The amount of ethylene oxide… Brenda Goodman is a senior news writer for WebMD. In Smyrna, the state estimates ethylene oxide emissions are 27 to 61 times higher than the AAC. The Smyrna and Covington areas, which first heard of the ethylene oxide problem from the report, held recent town hall meetings where scores of residents called for air testing. Toxic gas emissions at Smyrna's Sterigenics plant caused a community outcry last year and Thursday Georgia lawmakers passed legislation to require greater transparency in cases of industrial leaks Amie Brink/Web MD. 11Alive has been flooded with emails from worried people in Smyrna and Covington, after a WebMD article was published over the weekend which warned about the level of ethylene oxide … The planned work is not expected to significantly alter the task force’s work to independently monitor the air for ethylene oxide emissions. The EPA recognizes ethylene oxide as a cancer-causing toxin, and concluded in 2016 that ethylene oxide is 30 times more … I'm doing a project on environmental contamination with a focus on ethylene oxide contamination affecting the communities of Covington, GA and Smyrna, GA. That's because a WebMD story broke the news in early July 2019 that ethylene oxide was being pumped into the air in surrounding neighborhoods by three medical sterilization plants, two operated by Sterigenics in Smyrna (in metro Atlanta) and one by BD Bard in Covington, Georgia. In Smyrna, the state estimates ethylene oxide emissions are 27 to 61 times higher than the AAC. Smyrna Mayor Max Bacon, who is chairing the Oversight Committee, said the Task Force conducting the testing had already made provisions for this situation. Aug. 28, 2019 -- Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division launched an investigation Tuesday of a previously undisclosed leak of toxic gas at a Smyrna … 11Alive has been flooded with emails from worried people in Smyrna and Covington, after a WebMD article was published over the weekend which warned about the level of ethylene oxide … Ethylene Oxide: Carcinogen Exposure in Smyrna and Covington. 11Alive has been flooded with emails from worried people in Smyrna and Covington, after a WebMD article was published over the weekend which warned about the level of ethylene oxide … “We’re aware of the operational shutdown at the facility,” Mayor Bacon said. Advertisement . Ethylene oxide is an odorless and slightly sweet-tasting gas that is used to sterilize medical equipment. Our law firm is investigating cancer claims related to Ethylene Oxide Exposure. Covington also has a sterilizing facility, run by BD Bard, which uses ethylene oxide. Are you or a loved one suffering from ethylene oxide exposure? In Covington, the plant is known as BD Bard. The EPA has located two plants — Sterigenics in Smyrna and BD Bard in Covington — that have been releasing high volumes of ethylene oxide into the air. The amount of the ethylene oxide leaked last month was less than 6 pounds, said Sterigenics, the company that runs the Smyrna sterilization plant. Groups in the Smyrna and Covington areas, where residents first heard of the ethylene oxide problem from the news report, held town hall meetings where scores of residents called for air testing. 11Alive has been flooded with emails from worried people in Smyrna and Covington, after a WebMD article was published over the weekend which warned about the level of ethylene oxide … 11Alive has been flooded with emails from worried people in Smyrna and Covington, after a WebMD article was published over the weekend which warned about the level of ethylene oxide … 11Alive has been flooded with emails from worried people in Smyrna and Covington, after a WebMD article was published over the weekend which warned about the level of ethylene oxide released by two companies in those areas. 11Alive has been flooded with emails from worried people in Smyrna and Covington, after a WebMD article was published over the weekend which warned about the level of ethylene oxide … The Georgia House and Senate unanimously passed bills Thursday requiring companies to publicly report leaks of the toxic gas ethylene oxide. The City of Smyrna posted a brief statement on their website in response to the news about two Smyrna-area census tracts exposed to the airborne carcinogenic chemical ethylene oxide.. If it had been more than 10 pounds, the company would have been obligated to report the leak quickly to state regulators. Just as with Sterigenics in Smyrna, BD Bard in Covington has a sterilization plant that uses ethylene oxide. Sterigenics uses a chemical called ethylene oxide to sterilize medical equipment. Nationally, 109 census tracts are at risk for greater numbers of cancers largely due to ethylene oxide, a chemical used to sterilize medical equipment and make other kinds of products like antifreeze. Orris first encountered ethylene oxide when he was a regional medical officer for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. 11Alive has been flooded with emails from worried people in Smyrna and Covington, after a WebMD article was published over the weekend which warned about the level of ethylene oxide … EPD will use that information to get a better understanding of the facilities impact on air quality. The EPD monitoring plan is focused on Smyrna and Covington, but the agency is also testing air in areas that are far from any permitted source of ethylene oxide. 11Alive has been flooded with emails from worried people in Smyrna and Covington, after a WebMD article was published over the weekend which warned about the level of ethylene oxide … Andy Miller is editor and CEO of Georgia Health News. Summary of Area Air Sampling Results for Ethylene Oxide – City of Smyrna, Cobb County, City of Atlanta (Collected on September 4, 2019 through July 16, 2020) Lab Logins: L491215, L491339, L491378, L491537, L491539, L515020, L515102, L515097, L515163, L515297, L515393, L515418, L515021, L514957 Location ID Sample Location GHD Sample ID Sample Dates Result ppb μg/m3 Smyrna 1 … In Covington, concentrations of ethylene oxide in neighborhoods around the plant range from 17 … In Smyrna, the plant that releases ethylene oxide is run by Sterigenics. It operates several plants across the country, one of them is … If you live in Smyrna or Covington, you may have been exposed to this harmful chemical for years. Ethylene oxide is a colorless, odorless gas that is used to disinfect about ... a Smyrna Democrat who lives near the Sterigenics plant in south Cobb County and who sponsored legislation to curb ethylene oxide emissions. Three of those census tracts are in the metro Atlanta area — two are in Fulton County, just south of Smyrna, and the third is in Newton County in Covington. Rep. Erick Allen, a south Cobb Democrat who vigorously pushed legislation to sharpen ethylene oxide regulations, said he’s not surprised at the order, but he doesn’t think it will last forever. “This was expected considering the county’s position and the closure of the courts during the pandemic. In Covington, concentrations of ethylene oxide in neighborhoods around the plant range from 17 … If you or a loved one lived and worked in the Smyrna, Vinings, or Atlanta area and were exposed to air contaminated with the cancer-causing chemical ethylene oxide and were later diagnosed with certain cancers, including: • Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) This is done for purposes of identifying baseline levels of air pollution in areas where there is no known source of ethylene oxide. 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