I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7168 
To direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, as 
required by section 112(d)(6) of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 
7412(d)(6)), to review and revise as necessary the emissions standards 
for sources of ethylene oxides, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 20, 2018 
Mr. LIPINSKI introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
Agency, as required by section 112(d)(6) of the Clean 
Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7412(d)(6)), to review and revise 
as necessary the emissions standards for sources of ethyl-
ene oxides, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Clean Up EtO Act 
of 2018’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
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(1) Ethylene oxide is a human carcinogen that 
causes increased cancer risk at very low concentra-
tions in air. 
(2) The Environmental Protection Agency pro-
duced a cancer risk estimate due to ethylene oxide 
inhalation in 1985 and again in 2016. Due to sig-
nificant advances in our scientific understanding of 
ethylene oxide carcinogenicity, the risk estimate in-
creased by a factor of 30 over that period of time. 
(3) The Environmental Protection Agency has 
not updated its National Emissions Standards for 
Hazardous Air Pollutants for ethylene oxide steri-
lization facilities or hospital ethylene oxide sterilizers 
since the 2016 risk estimate was published. 
(4) According to the Environmental Protection 
Agency’s most recent National Air Toxics Assess-
ment, ethylene oxide is the biggest contributor to 
cancer risk in 93 out of the top 100 census tracts 
in the country with the highest cancer risk due to 
air pollution. In 58 of those tracts, the cancer risk 
due to ethylene oxide is greater than 100 cases per 
million people, the level at which the Agency con-
siders an air pollutant to pose a public health threat 
beyond an ample margin of safety. 
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(5) Section 112 of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 
112) requires the Environmental Protection Agency 
to revise emissions standards for hazardous air pol-
lutants no less often than every 8 years, yet the 
standard for ethylene oxide sterilization facilities was 
last updated in 2006 and the standard for hospital 
ethylene oxide sterilizers was last updated in 2007. 
(6) In 2001, the Environmental Protection 
Agency eliminated the requirement that ethylene 
oxide sterilization facilities control emissions from 
their sterilization chamber vents. Emissions from 
those vents are a significant contributor to the ele-
vated cancer risk estimated in the National Air 
Toxics Assessment. 
(7) The current National Emissions Standards 
for Hazardous Air Pollutants for ethylene oxide 
sterilizers and hospital ethylene oxide sterilizers do 
not protect public health with an adequate margin of 
safety. 
SEC. 3. REVIEW AND REVISION OF EMISSIONS STANDARDS 
FOR SOURCES OF ETHYLENE OXIDES. 
Not later than 9 months after the date of enactment 
of this Act, as required by section 112(d)(6) of the Clean 
Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7412(d)(6)), the Administrator of the 
Environmental Protection Agency shall— 
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(1) review the emissions standards promulgated 
under section 112(d) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
7412(d)) for sources of ethylene oxides; 
(2) promulgate a final rule revising such stand-
ards as necessary; and 
(3) include in such final rule emissions stand-
ards under section 112(d)(2) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
7412) to control the emission of ethylene oxides 
from chamber exhaust vents. 
Æ 
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