What does ethylene oxide sterilize?

Ethylene oxide sterilizers are used to sterilize heat- and moisture- sensitive devices that would be damaged by pure steam or liquid chemical sterilization, including most plastic or rubber products (e.g., catheters, resuscitation bags, anesthesia masks, most fiberoptic instruments), as well as non-heat-sensitive …

Is ethylene oxide sterilization toxic?

ETO toxicity has been established in a variety of animals. Exposure to ETO can cause eye pain, sore throat, difficulty breathing and blurred vision. Exposure can also cause dizziness, nausea, headache, convulsions, blisters and vomiting and coughing.

What happens when you mix ethylene oxide with water?

Ethylene oxide reacts with water to form ethylene glycol and with ethanol to form 2-ethoxyethanol.

Is ethylene oxide banned in the United States?

25, 2019 — In 2005, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considered banning ethylene oxide in new sterilizing facilities because of the cancer risk it posed to residents who lived around the plants.

Does ethylene gas affect humans?

Chronic (long-term) exposure to ethylene oxide in humans can cause irritation of the eyes, skin, nose, throat, and lungs, and damage to the brain and nervous system. There also is some evidence linking ethylene oxide exposure to reproductive effects.

How safe is ethylene oxide?

EPA has concluded that ethylene oxide is carcinogenic to humans by the inhalation route of exposure. Evidence in humans indicates that exposure to ethylene oxide increases the risk of lymphoid cancer and, for females, breast cancer.

Is ethylene oxide used to sterilize medical equipment?

Currently, ethylene oxide gas is used to sterilize 50% of all medical supplies that require that high level of disinfection — everything from plastic surgical gowns to syringes, catheters, bandages, gauze, and pacemakers.

What is ethylene oxide sterilization (EO)?

Through the use of a vacuum-based process, EO sterilization can efficiently penetrate surfaces of most medical devices and its lower temperature makes it an ideal process for a wide variety of materials. What is Ethylene Oxide Processing?

What is ethylene oxide used for?

What is Ethylene Oxide Used For? EO is suitable for the sterilization of a wide range of materials not compatible with other methods of sterilization. Products commonly processed with ethylene oxide include: Assembled complex devices. Catheters.

What is ETO sterilization and aeration?

Most modern ETO sterilizers combine sterilization and aeration in the same chamber as a continuous process. These ETO models minimize potential ETO exposure during door opening and load transfer to the aerator. Ambient room aeration also will achieve desorption of the toxic ETO but requires 7 days at 20°C.

What types of medical devices are sterilized with ethylene oxide?

Medical devices made from certain polymers (plastic or resin), metals, or glass, or that have multiple layers of packaging or hard-to-reach places (for example, catheters) are likely to be sterilized with ethylene oxide. What Devices Are Sterilized with Ethylene Oxide?