Medical device firm opening in Tucson to no longer use cancer-causing gas

The company set to build a medical device sterilization facility in southeast Tucson has reversed course on its intentions to use a hazardous gas at the center and instead plans to use another sterilization method using electron beam technology.

In January 2022 , the council passed a motion offered by Steve Kozachik to oppose the facility’s construction over the use of ethylene oxide and uncertainty of transporting the chemical throughout Tucson. The city sent sent a letter to BD informing the company it’s not welcome in Tucson without a risk assessment demonstrating Tucson Fire can adequately respond to a catastrophic event.

“As we looked at our network, we identified the need for additional e-beam capacity, as well as , and determined Tucson would be better suited for e-beam,” Kirkpatrick said in an email. “We still intend to build a new sterilization facility in a location that is more centralized to multiple BD manufacturing facilities. While we haven’t announced the location, we can confirm that it will not be in Arizona.

The county’s environmental department is legally required to issue air quality permits to companies that meet a certain set of federal and state standards. Under its previous permit, BD could emit no more than 709 pounds of ethylene oxide annually, and it claims to have control measures that eliminate 99.95% of the gas.

During a conversation debriefing the city council on the nitric acid spill on March 21, City Attorney Mike Rankin said while localities have limited authority over the transportation of toxic chemicals in their jurisdictions, Tucson petitioned the federal transportation department to designate acceptable travel routes for ethylene oxide in anticipation of BD using large quantities of the chemical in the city.

Source: News Formal (newsformal.com)

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