B. Braun, a Germany-based medical device manufacturer, is facing allegations that the company’s Allentown, PA facility exposed workers and nearby residents to dangerous levels of the chemical ethylene oxide. Ethylene oxide also referred to as EtO, is a flammable gas that B. Braun uses as a sterilizing agent for certain medical devices. However, in 2016, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) considered EtO a human carcinogen. The personal injury lawyers at the law firm of Console & Associates P.C. are looking into these recent allegations to determine the legal remedies of those who may have developed cancer due to ethylene oxide exposure through the B. Braun Allentown facility.
Is Ethylene Oxide Dangerous?
According to the EPA, EtO can cause severe damage to human DNA, causing myriad health conditions, including certain types of cancer. Even moderate exposure to ethylene oxide can cause someone to experience “respiratory irritation and lung injury, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, shortness of breath, and cyanosis,” according to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (“OSHA”). OSHA also noted that prolonged exposure to EtO may result in “cancer, reproductive effects, mutagenic changes, neurotoxicity, and sensitization.”
Most people are exposed to EtO by breathing in the gas. The EPA explains, “people who live near facilities that release EtO to the outdoor air may be exposed to EtO, depending on how much EtO is released and how close they live to the facility.”
What Types of Cancer Can EtO Cause?
One of the primary concerns about the use of EtO is the fact that it has been linked to certain types of cancer. According to the Centers for Disease Control, exposure to EtO can lead to a significant increase in the likelihood of developing certain cancers of the white blood cells. These include:
· Non-Hodgkin lymphoma,
· Myeloma, and
· Lymphocytic leukemia.
There is also evidence suggesting that exposure to ethylene oxide can cause women to experience a higher chance of developing breast cancer.
Why Do Companies Use Ethylene Oxide?
Given the risks of ethylene oxide, it begs the question of why businesses continue to use the chemical and why the EPA allows them to do so. The answer relates in part to the fact that, in some applications, EtO is claimed to be the only effective way of sterilizing certain equipment. According to the Food and Drug Administration, “[f]or many medical devices, sterilization with ethylene oxide may be the only method that effectively sterilizes and does not damage the device during the sterilization process. Medical devices made from certain polymers (plastic or resin), metals, or glass, or that have multiple layers of packaging or hard-to-reach places (for example, catheters) are likely to be sterilized with ethylene oxide.” Not surprisingly, the FDA study reaching this conclusion is cited in a special website B. Braun set up to address questions into the company’s continued use of EtO.
However, companies across the country use dangerous—but necessary—chemicals every day, and the fact that EtO has important uses does not mean that B. Braun’s cannot be held liable for failing to adequately address the risks presented by EtO. In general, companies that rely on hazardous chemicals are responsible for taking all steps necessary to ensure those who come into contact with the company’s products or work or live near a manufacturing facility are not put at an increased risk of harm.
About B. Braun
B. Braun is a German medical device and pharmaceutical device manufacturing company based in Melsungen, Germany. The company manufactures and sells healthcare products and devices, including those related to infusion therapy, nutrition therapy, anesthesia and pain management, renal therapy, wound management B. Braun employs roughly 63,000 employees and has offices or manufacturing facilities in over 60 countries, including in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
The company’s Allentown manufacturing facility is located at 901 Marcon Blvd., Allentown, Pennsylvania 18109.
