Media Contact:
Hisa Turner
hisa@lca.org
Louisiana Chemical Association Responds to the EPA’s Final HON Rule
BATON ROUGE – June 11, 2024 - Today, Greg Bowser, President and CEO of the Louisiana Chemical Association (LCA), made the following response to the Ethylene Oxide Study.
Without knowing the specifics of the quality control for how the data in this study was gathered and the methods used to calibrate the monitors we are not able to properly gauge the accuracy of this study. This is a common drawback with mobile versus stationary air monitoring. There appear to be issues with how sensitive these numbers reported are and what the monitors are capable of detecting. Parts per trillion is an incredibly small amount to read accurately, especially in a moving vehicle.
In addition, this study does not appear to take into account background levels of Ethylene Oxide (EtO), an important factor in interpreting the significance of the reported data. The study shows no measurements in areas away from the industrial corridor with the monitoring equipment to act as a control for background levels. According to the American Chemistry Council, the national average for background EtO readings is nearly 15x higher than what is recommended by the EPA IRIS value, and this includes cities with and without industry present. EtO is present in the environment and is created by various sources, including vehicle exhaust, plant and soil metabolism, and even fruit ripening. Without knowing the background levels of these readings, we have nothing to contextualize the study's results.
In reviewing the study, it appears to us that there was only one instance in which the EtO readings reached 40 parts per billion. This seems to be an extreme outlier when the average EtO reading is 31.4 parts per trillion. That such a drastic difference in levels appears to only be taken at one time leads us to question that particular data point and then claiming that data point was the highest level of EtO reading found when it is so grossly different from the average is misleading to readers.
Our industry partners are constantly working towards lowering all emissions. According to the EPA, from 2013 to 2022, releases of ethylene oxide into the air have decreased by 43%. We all live and work here. Our goal is to better our state and our community while continuing to manufacture the materials needed for our medical and agricultural products.
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About the Louisiana Chemical Association
The Louisiana Chemical Association (LCA) was formed in 1959 to promote a positive business climate for chemical manufacturing that ensures long-term economic growth for its 70 member companies that operate more than 100 sites throughout Louisiana.
LCA, Louisiana Chemical Industry Alliance and related organizations work to protect and expand Louisiana’s petrochemical manufacturing base. It is critical for the industry to have a unified voice in state governmental activities because legislative and regulatory actions can affect capital investment and job retention and growth.
LCA is governed by a Board of Directors that consists of 17 member company representatives, primarily plant managers and divisional vice presidents. LCA has an experienced staff with expertise in the chemical industry, environmental, health, safety, security, governmental affairs, communications and association management.