By Michael Bartlett on June 11th, 2026 in Ethylene Oxide
Because it is undetectable without specialized equipment, residents living within three miles of the facility may have been breathing contaminated air for years without knowing it. If you lived near the Baxter facility and have since been diagnosed with cancer, contact ELG Law today to find out whether you may have a claim.
Baxter Healthcare has operated an industrial sterilization facility in Mountain Home since 1978, using ethylene oxide to sterilize medical devices. Court records from litigation involving the facility indicate that the lifetime cancer risk around the Mountain Home site is three times higher than the national average, according to data from the EPA's National Air Toxics Assessment.
That estimate may actually understate the risk. Baxter's reported emissions in 2014, which formed the basis of the NATA model, were significantly lower than they had been during the 1980s and 1990s, and lower than they have been in the years since. Fugitive emissions, which are difficult to measure and often go unreported, may account for additional EtO releases beyond what appears in official records.
Because the facility has been operational for over four decades, multiple generations of Mountain Home residents may have experienced long-term cumulative exposure to EtO emissions.
Mountain Home does not have many formally named neighborhoods, but residents across a number of identifiable areas may fall within the three-mile exposure radius. These include:
If you lived, worked, or attended school in any of these areas for an extended period, your proximity to the Baxter facility may be relevant to an EtO exposure claim.
Ethylene oxide is a mutagenic alkylating agent, meaning it enters the bloodstream and can physically alter DNA. This cellular damage accumulates over time, which is why long-term residential exposure near an emitting facility carries a different risk profile than a brief or isolated exposure. The EPA evaluates EtO cancer risk based on chronic, cumulative exposure over many years, reflecting the reality that the health effects of EtO are often invisible for a long time before a diagnosis appears.
Court filings related to the Mountain Home facility include plaintiffs who lived within half a mile of the Baxter site for decades before receiving a cancer diagnosis. One plaintiff was diagnosed with breast cancer after living near the facility since 1977. Another was diagnosed with myeloma after living less than a mile away since 1988. These cases illustrate the long gap that can exist between the start of exposure and the point at which a diagnosis is made.
You may be eligible to file a claim if you lived within three miles of the Baxter Healthcare facility in Mountain Home and were later diagnosed with any of the following conditions:
Eligibility does not require that you currently live near the facility. Past residence within the three-mile radius, combined with a qualifying diagnosis, is the foundation of a claim. The EPA's cancer risk modeling for EtO is based on long-term cumulative exposure, which means years spent living near the facility before a diagnosis may be directly relevant to your case.
ELG Law has spent over three decades representing individuals who developed cancer following toxic chemical exposure. If you or a family member lived near the Baxter Healthcare facility in Mountain Home and have been diagnosed with breast cancer, lymphoma, leukemia, multiple myeloma, or another EtO-linked condition, our attorneys can review your residential history and medical records to assess your eligibility. All we need to get started are two things: proof of residence within three miles of the facility and documentation of your diagnosis of cancer. Contact us today and get your case reviewed for free.