Ethylene Oxide Information

October 2, 2019 6:30 - 8pm:  Town Hall Meeting on Ethylene Oxide in Lake County
College of Lake County, Auditorium A011

June 21, 2019: First Set of Results from Monitoring
The Lake County Health Department, City of Waukegan and Village of Gurnee received the first set of results from their joint outdoor air monitoring for ethylene oxide (EtO) near Vantage Specialty Chemicals in Gurnee and Medline Industries in Waukegan. These preliminary results indicate the presence of EtO at elevated levels at one location in Waukegan, and at varying and lower levels at all other sites.  See the the entire Lake County Health Department press release at https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/ILLAKE/bulletins/24cbe96  

Residents seeking the monitoring results information from June 21st can find updates at https://www.lakecountyil.gov/4188/EtO-Monitoring-Results

Residents seeking the latest information from the Lake County Health Department can find updates at https://www.lakecountyil.gov/4158/Ethylene-Oxide-in-Lake-County 

On November 21, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a web page to address recent concerns regarding EyO emissions from two facilities in Lake County, Illinois: Medline Industries in Waukegan, and Vantage Specialty Chemicals in Gurnee.

Residents seeking information about EtO in Lake County can find the latest updates at https://www.epa.gov/il/addressing-ethylene-oxide-emissions-lake-county-illinois.

The US EPA has been working with Illinois EPA to examine emissions information from both the Medline and Vantage facilities to determine potential next steps. Questions and concerns should be sent via email to the U.S. EPA at eto@epa.gov

March 1, 2019: City and Health Department Urge Air Monitoring for Ethylene Oxide in Lake County
The Lake County Health Department, in concert with the City of Waukegan and Village of Gurnee, continues to work with local, state and federal officials to address concerns of ethylene oxide emissions. On February 28, 2019, Health Department Executive Director Mark Pfister met with Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) Director John Kim, Illinois Senator Melinda Bush, Gurnee Mayor Kristina Kovarik, and Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham to discuss options for ambient air monitoring in Lake County.

“Ambient air monitoring is the logical next step in this developing situation. This testing would help us determine the levels of ethylene oxide exposure occurring in our communities,” said Executive Director Mark Pfister. “Together with Gurnee and Waukegan, we continue to urge our state and federal officials to take this step. In the meantime, we are exploring independent air monitoring as an option to assure the protection of our residents’ health.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published a Lake County-specific web page on November 21, 2018. Residents seeking information about ethylene oxide in Lake County can find the latest updates at https://www.epa.gov/il/addressing-ethylene-oxide-emissions-lake-county-illinois. Questions and concerns can be sent via email to the U.S. EPA at eto@epa.gov.

Information on Lake County Health Department activities related to ethylene oxide emissions can be found the Health Department’s website, https://www.lakecountyil.gov/4158/Ethylene-Oxide-in-Lake-County.

February 8, 2091: Lake County Health's EtO Presentation at 2/4/2019 City Council
Larry Mackey, Deputy Director of the Lake County Health Department's Prevention Services, presented at the February 4, 2019 City Council meeting. Prevention Services is principally concerned with environmental and environmental health programs.  He covered the awareness of  Ethylene Oxide (EtO), information on/uses of the chemical, regulations, responsibilities of agencies, actions taken, and suggestions for the public.  Watch the presentation.

Here is the US EPA website to which Larry referred in the video.