06/24/2023
Please Henrico residents, check message below
"ATTENTION 🔥DUE ON JUNE 27
Henrico county citizens and especially Varina residents, as you might have heard we have an issue with a local sterilization plant releasing high emissions of a very carcinogenic chemical ethylene oxide.(ETO)
The plant is located on 5674 Eastport Blvd. EPA has proposed regulations to help with the safety of the workers and community in the area but it's still missing a few more items that must be included in the proposal.
We must point out that the facility reported to EPA in its information collection request response that 25% of sterilized products are stored at an offsite warehouse at 5601 Eastport Blvd, which is right across the street from the sterilizer at 5674 Eastport Blvd.
Warehouses are not monitored and we are asking EPA to include warehouse monitoring.
Under the FIFRA proposal, we also want EPA to ban the use of EtO on spices and reduce bystander and occupational risks to the greater extensive feasible without over-reliance on PPE, including reducing worker risks at warehouses.
There are alternatives to just ETO.
Locally, FOJG Sierra club and SAVE Coalition have been working with Union of Concerned Scientists and Earthjustice who are leading efforts to get the information out to the communities all over the country were these sterilizers are located.
PLEASE, sign up to this fast action link to send a message to EPA or you can write your own letter ( I will include more info on the thread to this post). But we need as many people as possible to sign up. We ( organizations from all over the country , I'm with Sierra Club, met w/ EPA, FDA officials last week. Some EPA officials emphasized that public comments are crucial to this proposal. Please sign one, write and share before JUNE 27.
I will include various links so you can read up on it below.
https://secure.ucsusa.org/a/2023-eto-sterilizer-rule-comment?fbclid=IwAR05AP07OKcynNbwcJBRREPOyL-HNZVrRlx766hZUP5qwkIX7q4j1YFXQss
Tell the Environmental Protection Agency to protect communities and workers from the invisible toxic ethylene oxide by implementing the strongest science-based regulations possible.
