A short history of Baxter Healthcare Corporation and ethylene oxide emissions
Baxter opened a facility in Mountain Home, Arkansas, in 1964. It is known as one of the largest manufacturing plants for plastics and medical devices, covering about 550,000 square feet and employing at least 1,200 full-time employees. While ethylene oxide is an effective sterilizing gas, it has been classified as a human carcinogen (Group 1). EtO gas sterilizes medical supplies by destroying the DNA of microorganisms. However, excess emissions may also affect workers and residents, as EtO molecules can bind to their DNA or hemoglobin.
Over 20,000 people live within five miles of Baxter’s Mountain Home facility in Arkansas, with about 22 schools and childcare centers. According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxic Release Inventory, the facility has released thousands of pounds of ethylene oxide from 2015 to 2021. In 2017, the facility emitted 5,013 pounds of EtO gas into the air, which is among the 15 highest EtO releases in the country.
Baxter Healthcare Corporation: facing ethylene oxide cancer claims and lawsuits
Baxter has faced numerous lawsuits alleging that its Mountain Home sterilization facility had released excessive amounts of ethylene oxide into the air, endangering the health of workers and surrounding neighborhoods. One of these cases involves Mountain Home residents who allege that Baxter’s facility gave the workers and residents “some of the highest long-term cancer risks” in the country. One plaintiff is a former postal carrier who has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma.
Other types of cancer that have been strongly linked to ethylene oxide exposure include breast cancer (male and female), leukemia, Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, liver cancer, and lung cancer.
Filing ethylene oxide exposure claims against Baxter Healthcare Corporation
If you have been diagnosed with any of the conditions mentioned above, we highly encourage you to schedule a consultation with our attorneys. For workers of the Mountain Home facility, we only need to verify your medical documents (showing a cancer diagnosis) and employment records to determine if you are eligible for claims. For nearby residents, we only need to verify your medical documents along with proof of residence (showing you lived within four miles of the facility). Families of workers and residents who passed away from EtO-linked cancer may also file claims. Contact ELG today to start the process.
