A Puerto Rican community grapples with the lingering effects of ethylene oxide exposure, decades after an industrial accident left one worker permanently impaired.
In short:
- Ethylene oxide, a gas used to sterilize medical equipment, has been linked to severe health issues, including cancer, in Salinas, Puerto Rico.
- A 2003 workplace accident exposed worker Henry Morales to the gas, leading to lifelong neurological damage.
- Recent EPA studies show that residents near Steri-Tech, where Morales worked, are exposed to dangerously high levels of this toxic chemical.
Key quote:
“They would implement rules and say, ‘If you want to work, then work, and if you can’t accept things here, then leave.’”
— former Steri-Tech employee (name withheld for fear of legal retribution)
Why this matters:
Salinas is grappling with the invisible threats that industrial chemicals pose to public health, especially when the very air they breathe becomes a vector of disease. The environmental toll is equally staggering, as the gas, though it breaks down over time, leaves behind a toxic legacy. Read more: US manufacturers persist in use of cancer-causing ethylene oxide despite bans abroad.
