Sterigenics U.S., LLC offers sterilization and biotechnological services for various medical and pharmaceutical industries. Its parent company, previously known as Sterigenics International, is now known as Sotera Health. The company employs more than a thousand scientists, engineers, and safety specialists for its sterilization operations that include gamma, e-beam, X-ray, and ethylene oxide (EtO). The sterilization facility of Sterigenics in Willowbrook was shut down due to high levels of EtO emissions, which may have seriously impacted the health of nearby residents, increasing their risk of developing cancer. If you have been diagnosed with cancer after living near an EtO sterilization facility, we urge you to contact us.
Claim ApplicationSterigenics runs a sterilization facility for medical equipment and various products in Vernon, California, which spans approximately 5.2 square miles in Los Angeles County. Sterigenics operates two facilities in Vernon, located just a few miles south of downtown LA. Each year, the facility produces over 45 million sterilized medical supplies to nearly a hundred healthcare companies.
Ethylene oxide is widely used as a sterilizing agent because its gas molecules can destroy microbial DNA, which is its primary way of killing microorganisms. However, these sterilizing properties also make EtO a threat to human health for nearby residents in LA County. Even at low levels of exposure, EtO can bind to hemoglobin or DNA, forming "adducts" or cause DNA damage. With chronic exposure, these alterations may lead to an increased risk of cancer. Several cancers have been strongly linked to ethylene oxide exposure, including:
Sterigenics has faced hundreds of lawsuits from affected residents, alleging that their cancer was associated with ethylene oxide exposure.
Sterigenics had faced numerous lawsuits in the past for ethylene oxide claims involving their facilities in other states.
Seventeen residents of a nearby city, Maywood, have sued Sterigenics U.S. LLC for allegedly releasing toxic gas for decades. At least twelve of the residents have been diagnosed with cancer, while some are filing for their relatives who passed away from cancer. Plaintiffs are demanding compensation for medical expenses, funeral costs, lost income, and the mental damages from illness or death ot their family member. In a statement released on the Sotera Health website, Sterigenics has denied responsibility for any diseases.
In addition to a diagnosis of an EtO-related cancer, your claim must be supported by your history of ethylene oxide exposure at Sterigenics US. You may be able to file claims if you lived within three miles of a Sterigenics sterilization facility in Vernon. Additionally, a family member of a resident who passed away from cancer after chronic exposure to EtO may file a wrongful death claim for their loved one.
If you have more questions about your eligibility for an ethylene oxide claim against Sterigenics, do not hesitate to contact us.
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