Ethylene Oxide: Technical Reviews and Outreach to Potentially Affected Communities

Status Report - Second Quarter 2021 Update
April - June 2021

As EPA pursues its mission to protect public health and the environment, addressing ethylene
oxide remains a major priority for the Agency. EPA's National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA),
released in August 2018, identified a number of areas of the country where risks of cancer were
potentially elevated because of ethylene oxide (EtO) emissions. NATA estimated risk based on
emissions from 2014, which were the most recently available at the time.

Because NATA is a screening-level analysis, additional work is needed to better understand
emissions in areas NATA identifies as potentially having elevated risk, and to identify
opportunities for early reductions at individual facilities, while EPA reviews its regulations for
industries. EPA is supporting its state air agency partners in that work.

In January 2021, EPA posted a status report describing the technical analysis and outreach work
conducted for Croda in New Castle, Delaware. This document summarizes additional work
conducted in the second quarter of 2021.

Outreach updates:

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) has been
the lead in reducing emissions at Croda.

•	EPA has begun working meetings with DNREC on environmental justice concerns in the
various communities along a the 3-mile long, Route 9 corridor, just south of Wilmington.
Croda is located at the southern end of the 3-mile long Route 9 corridor. There are
different communities with different environmental concerns. EPA expects to work with
DNREC on developing mitigation activities, listening sessions, and to engage
communities in this effort.

•	On June 29, 2021, DNREC held a public meeting on a Croda construction permit that
would include construction to eliminate EtO emissions to air by re-routing EtO back into
the process. The public comment period for the permit ended July 14, 2021.

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