Hi Mother Jones Reader,

The Trump administration recently announced it is further weakening environmental safeguards and giving industry a free pass to pollute with a cancer-causing chemical at the expense of the health and clean air of millions of Americans.

In 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency implemented new protections for an extremely toxic gas called ethylene oxide (EtO), which is widely used to sterilize medical equipment, after concluding that this chemical was 60 times more carcinogenic than previously understood.

Cleaner, safer air was finally in reach for the millions of Americans who live in neighborhoods, send their children to schools and daycares, and attend places of worship near these facilities. 

But now the Trump administration’s EPA is taking official steps to roll back these federal safeguards that would lower elevated cancer risks caused by this carcinogenic chemical by up to 92%.

Long-term exposure to EtO increases the risk of several cancers, including:

Children who are more susceptible to the effects of this toxic gas, and the rest of our communities, can’t afford to lose these federal safeguards.

As an environmental attorney representing faith and community groups across the South in challenging the Trump administration’s illegal use of exemptions for 40 commercial sterilizers from complying with the 2024 standards, I know this: no one voted for dirty air and it will take us all to protect our health from cancer-causing pollution.

The best thing to do right now is ask your elected officials to tell EPA not to weaken federal protections that are proven to reduce EtO pollution and cancer risks.

While EPA continues to cater to industry interests while undermining public health and clean air, we need your help making sure our lawmakers are speaking up to protect our communities. 

Thanks for jumping in,

Southern Environmental Law Center
120 Garrett St Ste 400, Charlottesville, VA 22902