A short history of KPR U.S. LLC, ethylene oxide emissions, and lawsuits
KPR US operates a sterilization facility in Augusta, Georgia, where the company makes products like medical gauze, foam gauze, and alcohol wipes. According to an inspection report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2024, the plant employs around 260 employees in three eight-hour shifts.
The KPR facility uses at least two ethylene oxide chambers to sterilize products. Ethylene oxide is a highly effective sterilizing agent because its gas molecules can destroy the microbial DNA of microorganisms. However, exposure to EtO emissions may also cause DNA damage to workers and residents. When a person is exposed to low levels of EtO, EtO molecules can bind to the hemoglobin or the DNA, which is the suspected starting point of how ethylene oxide increases the risk of developing cancer.
In 2021, over 20 residents of Augusta sued KPR US in the U.S. District Court in Southern Georgia, alleging that the facility released excessive levels of EtO over the decades, causing different types of cancers among plaintiffs. Current data from the Toxic Release Inventory show that the KPR facility has released a total of 98 pounds of ethylene oxide emissions in 2022, but historical emissions were higher. In 2013, the facility released 1,233 pounds of ethylene oxide into the air, and over 4,000 pounds in 2009.
Plaintiffs include an Augusta resident who lived just over five miles away from the facility since 1989 and was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999. In another lawsuit, a family member of a resident who passed away from leukemia in 2015 filed a complaint against KPR. Other types of cancer that have been strongly linked to ethylene oxide exposure include Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, multiple myeloma, liver cancer, and lung cancer.
File your ethylene oxide exposure claim with ELG Law
You may qualify for an ethylene oxide claim if you have been diagnosed with any of the conditions mentioned above, and were either a KPR facility worker or a nearby Augusta resident. Our attorneys can evaluate your eligibility through your medical records, along with your employment records (if you worked in the EtO sterilization facility) or your proof of residence (if you lived within four miles of the facility).
If you have more questions about your eligibility for an ethylene oxide claim against KPR, do not hesitate to contact us. Our attorneys can assess your medical documents along with your employment or residency records to evaluate your claim.