MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A plant called the Sterilization Services of Tennessee, which used a chemical called Ethylene Oxide (EtO) to sterilize medical equipment in South Memphis, is now closed.
"Today we celebrate," KeShaun Pearson the president of Memphis Community Against Pollution (MCAP) told ABC24.
Dr. Larry Hopper, the director of Respiratory Therapy at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis said the chemical can harm breathing and lung function, and it's tied to certain cancer diagnoses like Leukemia.
“It can be hazardous due to long-term exposure," Hopper said. “It’s kind of a way of sterilizing things without using heat, so that made it, in certain situations, optimal, but it's not always optimal if it gets exposed to somebody on a long-term basis if they’re not using protective equipment.”
This closure is a momentary win for longtime residents like Maggie Dawkins. Dawkins said that since living in the area she’s had multiple forms of cancer.
"When I finally heard that these emissions could possibly be causing health issues. I said, 'Oh my goodness, oh my goodness,'" Dawkins said. "And then I heard about people dying!"
And though this plant is no longer functioning, environmental activists said there is still a lot more to do in the area.
“Here in southwest Memphis, we have 17 toxic release facilities. And Sterilizations Services of Tennessee was one of them," Pearson said. "What we do know is that even beyond those 17 toxic release facilities, there are at least 90 other facilities that are pushing our pollutants that pollute our air. And if our air is polluted, it can pollute our water and our soil. And so, there is so much more work to be done. There are so many other facilities that are putting out harmful chemicals for our lungs and that harm our bodies.”