The modern approach to toxic awareness: Biohacking for EtO exposure and claims

Biohacking is an emerging trend in do-it-yourself (DIY) self-improvement practices that involves changing a person's lifestyle, routine, and nutrition to improve physical, mental, and overall health. Some ways that people do biohacking include using wearable fitness trackers, intermittent fasting, or sending DNA samples to a laboratory to get an optimized nutrition plan.

Environmental biohacking: A new approach to checking your exposure to different toxins

With many informative tools available, people can now use barcode scanning and various apps to check for the presence of toxins and carcinogens in food, makeup products, and household cleaning supplies. Under this umbrella term is environmental biohacking, which focuses on improving a person's surroundings and reducing exposure to environmental toxins, including carcinogens like ethylene oxide.

One aspect of environmental biohacking is ensuring excellent air quality in the home and the environment to maintain good respiratory health. Aside from using air purifiers and indoor plants, optimizing air quality also means being aware that many toxins and pollutants are around us. This is especially important if you work at or live near a facility that emits toxins like ethylene oxide.

Biohacking ethylene oxide and its connection to different types of cancer

To start biohacking the air quality around you, start by tracking your exposure to air pollutants like ethylene oxide. These are some of the steps you can take:

1. To check for the levels of solid and liquid particle pollutants in the air near you, you can use tools like AirNow by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
2. To search for data on facilities that are releasing toxins like ethylene oxide, you can check your community's status at the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Toxics Tracker. In the Map feature, you can select your city or state. The names and locations of emitting facilities will appear, along with the number of tonnes of EtO released annually. The media organization Grist also has a map of warehouses confirmed or suspected to store products sterilized with EtO, which may be emitting EtO into the surrounding environment through off-gases.

If you believe you were exposed to ethylene oxide as a worker or a nearby resident, a crucial action you can take is to get regular check-ups to ensure your good health. EtO is a potent carcinogen and is strongly linked to the following cancer types:

• Leukemia
• Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
• Multiple myeloma
• Liver cancer
• Lung cancer
• Breast cancer (male, female)
• Stomach cancer

What to do after exposure: Filing an ethylene oxide claim with ELG Law

With new practices like environmental biohacking, toxic exposure victims now have easier ways to track their exposure. If you have tracked your ethylene oxide exposure (through employment or living in proximity) and you believe it is connected to your cancer diagnosis, ELG Law's team of experts can help you file a claim. Combining your personal knowledge with the experience of our attorneys and our industrial hygienist, we can help you establish a strong ethylene oxide claim for cancer.