Sterigenics to reopen Willowbrook facility

Sterigenics will reopen its west suburban facility after agreeing with the state to install additional equipment to capture cancer-causing gases.

The company’s Willowbrook facility, which sterilizes medical equipment, was shut down by the EPA in February after spikes of the cancer-causing gas ethylene oxide were recorded in the surrounding neighborhood.

A draft agreement with the state requires Sterigenics to install additional emission-capture equipment and to spend $300,000 in community projects to benefit the environment, the company said in a statement. It also resolves a lawsuit filed by the state against Sterigenics, with no finding of fault and no fines.

The state will require Sterigenics to limit emissions of its facility to 85 pounds of ethylene oxide per year, down from 2,890 pounds released during 2017, the Chicago Tribune reported. Gas emissions will be monitored continuously, according to the agreement. The plant will reopen after the emissioncapture equipment is installed and the Illinois EPA gives its approval.

“We are pleased to have reached this agreement, which creates a path for our Willowbrook facility to resume its safe operation,” Sterigenics president Philip Macnabb said in the statement.