STERIS PLC
STE
Health Care
2
exclusion reasons
2 themes
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Approximately 275 residents near STERIS's former Isomedix sterilization facility in Waukegan, Illinois filed lawsuits alleging that sustained ethylene oxide (EtO) emissions caused cancer clusters in the surrounding community. The facility emitted EtO continuously from 1994 to 2008 under successive operators (Cosmed, then STERIS/Isomedix), with a third operator (Medline Industries) continuing emissions through 2020. Plaintiffs alleged breast cancer, leukemia, and lymphoid cancer linked to breathing EtO-contaminated air. Cook County Circuit Judge Kathy Flanagan approved a $48.15 million settlement in July 2025. STERIS stated the settlement was "not an admission of liability or that emissions from the Waukegan, Illinois facility ever posed a safety hazard."
STERIS's former subsidiary Isomedix operated a sterilization facility in Waukegan, Illinois from 2005 to 2008 that emitted ethylene oxide (EtO), a known human carcinogen. The facility had been emitting EtO since 1994 under prior operator Cosmed. Approximately 275 residents filed lawsuits in Cook County Circuit Court alleging EtO exposure from the facility caused breast cancer, leukemia, and lymphoid cancer. The EPA classifies EtO as carcinogenic to humans, with research finding cancer rates up to nine times the national average near sterilization facilities. STERIS settled for $48.15 million in March 2025. The first case to reach trial (Pamela Knobbe, breast cancer) ended in mistrial in January 2025.
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