* Michael Hawthorne at the Tribune…

Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration knew in December that toxic air pollution from the Sterigenics plant in west suburban Willowbrook likely was responsible for some of the highest cancer risks in the nation, according to a letter obtained by the Tribune. […]

In the Dec. 22 letter, sent to a Sterigenics executive, a top official in the U.S. EPA’s Chicago office outlines the results of a preliminary federal analysis linking unusually high cancer risks in the Willowbrook area to the company’s emissions of ethylene oxide, a potent gas used to sterilize medical instruments, pharmaceutical drugs and food.

Copied on the letter is Julie Armitage, chief of the Illinois EPA air bureau.

“EPA has calculated a cancer risk of approximately 1,000 in a million at the nearest residence, exceeding our typical upper limit of cancer risk acceptability,” wrote Ed Nam, director of the regional U.S. EPA air and radiation division. “EPA would like to provide Sterigenics with the opportunity to review our modeling and to suggest improvements for accuracy.” […]

The Illinois EPA responded to the report by quietly giving Sterigenics a permit to voluntarily install new pollution-control equipment, making it more difficult for authorities to pursue legal action against the company unless it can be shown the fix has failed to eliminate health risks from ethylene oxide pollution.

* Two House committees are holding a joint hearing today. Sterigenics has provided a statement to the committee. Its conclusion…

Sterigenics remains committed to the safe use of EO for the sterilization of life-saving medical products at our Willowbrook facility. We work every day to improve patients’ lives. We understand that the materials we use in our processes require diligent stewardship and we take our responsibility very seriously. Our mission, Safeguarding Global HealthTM, begins and ends with the safety of people in mind. We have always worked with the USEPA, ILEPA, OSHA, and the FDA with a commitment to the safety of our employees, the communities and environment in which we operate, and the patients we help to protect. Our employees and their families live in Willowbrook and the surrounding communities and the health and wellbeing of the residents in those communities is very important to us. We outperform the standards set for the safe operation of our facilities and commit to continue to take a leadership role in evolving regulations to reassure residents that they are safe.

*** UPDATE *** State Sen. John Curran…

“It is unacceptable, and beyond comprehension, that the United State Environmental Protection Agency and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency failed to inform residents in a timely manner about the elevated cancer risks associated with the emission of ethylene oxide from the Sterigenics facility in Willowbrook. From the moment this issue first came to light in late August, I demanded that Sterigenics cease operations immediately, and I reiterate that call today. As elected officials, our number one priority is to the health and well-being of our residents. In light of today’s discovery, I am calling on these two agencies to provide me with a detailed, written explanation on why they waited so long to inform my constituents about this health risk. Time is of the essence, and their joint delay has done a great disservice to my constituents.”

* US Sen. Dick Durbin…

This is a downright disgrace. Once again, the Rauner and Trump Administrations prioritized public relations over a serious public health hazard. Now, the U.S. EPA and Illinois EPA must finally step up its monitoring of this facility and be fully transparent with the public about the information they have about Sterigenics. Additionally, we need more emissions testing at this plant - something I’ve asked the EPA for repeatedly - a timeline for the EPA to set new health-based standards, and a public meeting for Willowbrook residents. Illinoisans deserve better than this.