Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
State Government: Agencies/Departments/Divisions | Environment & Natural Resources
Recent News About Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
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Medical sterilization plants reopen to fight COVID, but feds discussing further steps 'at highest level' to boost medical supplies
Cobb County, Ga., officials posted a message, purportedly from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, blasting county's 'insufficient' decision to only allow limited reopening of embattled sterilization plant and hinting at possible further federal action to boost supplies of PPE and other medical gear needed vs COVID-19. -
EPA data reveals EtO in air, far from targeted emissions sources; Med device makers urge EPA to pump brakes on rules
Industry warns acting on stringent public risk assessment levels 'pose increased risk to public health' -
Texas public health findings question EPA's findings over cancer risk from EtO, as controversy rages in Lake County
Texas state officials say cancer incidence lower than U.S. average in county with EtO emissions 300 times higher than U.S. average -
EtO plaintiffs: Even before 1st lawsuit filed, Sterigenics moved to put $1.3B 'out of reach' of personal injury lawsuits
Sterigenics says the finance accusations are 'inaccurate,' 'misleading' and 'false.' -
'Public nuisance' personal injury suits vs Sterigenics over emissions surge again
The number of lawsuits has again surged against Sterigenics, even as the company seeks to dismiss them by asserting the public nuisance suits are thwarted by federal and state emissions regulation. -
Sterigenics: Personal injury lawsuits should be doomed by EPA, other government regulation of EtO emissions
Sterigenics has asked a Cook County judge to dismiss a host of personal injury lawsuits against it, asserting the law does not allow it to be sued for its emissions of ethylene oxide, because the emissions were regulated by the government -
IL ethylene oxide ban advances, over warnings of 'ripple effect' fueling medical device shortages, 'true health care crisis'
Brushing aside warnings of shortages of properly sterilized health care tools, Illinois lawmakers are moving forward with new legislation to all but force the state’s medical device sterilization plants to close, over concerns emissions from the plants may be linked to an increased risk of cancer in those living nearby. -
Citing unpredictable legislative and regulatory landscape in Illinois, Sterigenics says it will exit Willowbrook operations
Sterigenics has announced plans to exit its ethylene oxide (EO) sterilization operations in Willowbrook, in spite of approval it received from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency on Sept. 20 to install emissions-capture technology at the shuttered plant. -
Illinois EPA OKs Sterigenics construction permit; 'First step in lengthy process' toward reopening, IEPA says
The Illinois EPA has granted a construction permit to allow Sterigenics to install emissions capture technology at its Willowbrook plant. -
Aqua Illinois facing lawsuits over lead in University Park water
Already facing a legal action from the state and Will County, Aqua Illinois now faces a class action lawsuit over lead in the water it supplies to the village of University Park. -
DuPage judge OKs Sterigenics consent order; Company can begin regulatory process to reopen Willowbrook plant
A DuPage County judge has signed off on an agreement that would end a court fight over actions taken by the state of Illinois to shut down Sterigenics' Willowbrook medical device sterilization plant over claims the plant emitted an allegedly cancer-causing chemical into the air. -
Can Sterigenics easily swap sterilants? Lawyers say yes; FDA, medical device makers less certain
Lawyers leading a growing number of lawsuits vs Sterigenics say the medical device sterilizer can easily substitute another sterilization method for ethylene oxide. The FDA and medical device makers seem less certain. -
Lawsuits vs Sterigenics surge in Cook County court following federal judge ruling
Days after a federal judge ruled Cook County courts could hear the lawsuits brought against medical device sterilization company Sterigenics, the number of lawsuits accusing the company of causing cancer has tripled in one day. -
Judge: Sterigenics can still be sued in Cook County court, even if complied with federal clean air rules
Medical device sterilization company Sterigenics will need to defend itself in Cook County court against a host of lawsuits brought by trial lawyers on behalf of people living in communities surrounding Sterigenics’ Willowbrook facility, as the judge said the company's compliance with federal clean air rules don't protect it from the lawsuits accusing the company of releasing emissions the lawsuits say caused the plaintiffs' cancer. -
Industry groups: Statewide ban on ethylene oxide a 'sledgehammer,' would hurt IL economy, health care
Industry groups say they would oppose statewide ban on use of ethylene oxide, as proposed in new legislation from a suburban state senator, describing a ban as a "sledgehammer approach" that would harm the state economy and the U.S. health care system. -
Willowbrook, other communities can weigh in on deal to possibily let Sterigenics reopen; permit talks continue
A DuPage County judge has decided to allow a group of suburban communities the opportunity to weigh in on an agreement between Illinois state officials and Sterigenics, keeping in place at least until September a state order that has shuttered its Willowbrook plant for five months. However, the company and the state’s environmental agency also continue to discuss the permits Sterigenics would need to reopen the plant. -
State lawmakers: IL ethylene oxide law doesn't allow A/G to negotiate Sterigenics settlement
Acknowledging a new state law was written specifically to target one suburban medical device sterilization plant, a group of state lawmakers have asked a DuPage County judge to reject a deal negotiated between Illinois state officials and Sterigenics to allow the company’s Willowbrook plant potentially to reopen. -
Sterigenics, state reach deal to end lawsuits over Willowbrook facility shutdown, emissions, allow plant to reopen
Medical device sterilizer Sterigenics has secured a path to reopening its plant in suburban Willowbrook, which has remained shuttered since February when state regulators under Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker ordered it closed over pollution concerns, even though the plant never violated the terms of its state operating permit. -
New IL ethylene oxide law could keep Sterigenics closed, keep new sterilization plans out of state
A new Illinois state law, which contains ethylene oxide regulations without peer anywhere else in the country, could make it all but impossible for a now-shuttered sterilization facility to reopen or for medical device sterilizers to open new plants in the state. And, despite the strict new law, Illinois’ chief legal officer has pledged to continue the state’s legal action to punish Sterigenics, which operated a sterilization plant in Willowbrook. -
Sterigenics: IL slow-walking document requests, depositions, 'afraid truth will come out' over shutdown order
Saying state officials are afraid “the truth will come out” about Gov. JB Pritzker’s order to close Sterigenics’ Willowbrook facility, Sterigenics has asked a DuPage County judge to force state officials to speed up their response to Sterigenics’ lawsuit and allow Sterigenics’ lawyers to question top Illinois environmental regulators under oath.