Health Department Urges Air Monitoring for Ethylene Oxide in Lake County

Lake County, Ill. - The Lake County Health Department, in concert with the Village of Gurnee and City of Waukegan, continues to work with local, state and federal officials to address concerns of ethylene oxide emissions. On February 28, 2019, Health Department Executive Director Mark Pfister met with Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) Director John Kim, Illinois Senator Melinda Bush, Gurnee Mayor Kristina Kovarik, and Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham to discuss options for ambient air monitoring in Lake County.

"Ambient air monitoring is the logical next step in this developing situation. This testing would help us determine what levels of ethylene oxide may be occurring in our communities," said Executive Director Mark Pfister. "Together with Gurnee and Waukegan, we continue to urge our state and federal officials to take this step. In the meantime, we are exploring independent air monitoring as an option to assure the protection of our residents' health."

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Lake County-specific web page on November 21, 2018. Residents seeking information about ethylene oxide in Lake County can find the latest updates at https://www.epa.gov/il/addressing-ethylene-oxide-emissions-lake-county-illinois. Questions and concerns can be sent via email to the U.S. EPA at eto@epa.gov.

Information on Lake County Health Department activities related to ethylene oxide emissions can be found the Health Department's website, https://www.lakecountyil.gov/4158/Ethylene-Oxide-in-Lake-County.