Montrose Environmental Group, Inc., a leading environmental services company, announced a global collaboration with Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., a world leader in serving science, to provide a comprehensive real-time ethylene oxide (EtO) monitoring solution that meets recently released U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations.
Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic and mutagenic compound commonly used in the chemical industry, particularly as a sterilant for medical products and as a reaction intermediate in the production of ethylene glycol. Due to its toxicity, federal, state and local regulators require monitoring for very low levels of EtO in and around commercial sterilizers and chemical plants. The EPA has recently issued three focused proposals addressing the reduction of EtO emissions from chemical plants and commercial sterilizers, thereby reducing risk to workers, the broader community, and the environment.
Working together, Montrose and Thermo Fisher offer medical device manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, chemical companies, and commercial sterilization service providers, a comprehensive solution to achieve compliance with the EPA’s new ethylene oxide regulations. Together, the companies combine Montrose’s expert field services and data platform (SensibleEDP™) with the proven ambient air monitoring (MAX-iQ) and emissions monitoring (EMS-10) systems of Thermo Fisher.
The MAX-iQ and EMS-10 systems, combined with the system design, installation, operations, software, geographic footprint, and maintenance expertise of Montrose, allow for monitoring low-level EtO emissions at a detection limit of 1 ppb, which exceeds the current EPA EtO standards.
“We’ve been working with Montrose and Thermo Fisher since 2019, utilizing their combined EtO monitoring solution. It has allowed us to comply with the state of Illinois’ regulations and positions us to meet the new proposed EPA requirements in a cost-efficient manner,” said Jasper Titus, Vice President of Quality Operations & EHS at Medline Industries.
Steve Davis, Senior Vice President of Environmental Data Solutions at Montrose, commented: “This powerful collaboration between Montrose and Thermo Fisher creates a turnkey solution, meeting the needs of industry to monitor ethylene oxide. Our combined solution offers best-in-class technology and field expertise to meet the increasing standards and regulations issued by the EPA.”
Thomas Doerdelmann, Vice President and General Manager for Environmental Process Monitoring at Thermo Fisher, added: “We are very excited to collaborate with Montrose to offer a complete, trusted gas analysis solution for navigating complex governmental regulations. Exposure to toxic vapors from ethylene oxide emissions poses a serious health risk to workers and neighboring communities. Now our customers have a superior, comprehensive solution to monitor trace gases, like EtO.”