STERIGENICS ANNOUNCES PLANS TO ENHANCE EMISSIONS CONTROLS AT
WILLOWBROOK FACILITY
Enhancements to control systems will establish Willowbrook facility as the highest emissions control
environment for sterilization facilities in the U.S.
Permit application follows months of discussions with IL EPA

June 27, 2019 – Chicago, IL – Sterigenics, a leading provider of mission-critical sterilization services,
today announced that it has applied for permits with the Illinois EPA (IL EPA) to install additional control
measures at its Willowbrook facility. The control measures are consistent with upgrades proposed by
Sterigenics to the IL EPA over the past several months and prior to the Seal Order which shut down
operations at the facility. These upgrades would also allow the facility to comply with the new Illinois
legislation for ethylene oxide (EO) emissions and would establish the Willowbrook facility as the highest
emissions control environment for EO sterilization facilities in the United States.
The application seeks permits to install new equipment which would establish a permanent total
enclosure through the use of negative pressure, increase the number of emission control stages, and
combine existing emissions stacks into one common stack at the facility. Based on preliminary
modeling, the installation of new emissions controls will further reduce the 0.1% of remaining emissions
at the Willowbrook facility to minimal levels.
“By implementing these new controls, our Willowbrook facility will outperform the requirements in the
recent Illinois EO law. Additionally, Willowbrook will operate with the highest control level for EO
emissions in Illinois and in the country, once again demonstrating our commitment to go beyond
regulatory requirements,” said Sterigenics President, Philip Macnabb. “Our focus is on acting in the best
interest of the community, our employees, our customers and the patients and hospitals we serve every
day. We are taking these additional steps to reassure the public while moving toward a solution which
enables us to resume the critical work of sterilizing vital medical products and devices in Willowbrook
for patients in Illinois and beyond.”
Sterigenics remains in compliance with legal obligations and is taking all appropriate legal actions to
resume operations at Willowbrook.
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For more information, please contact:
kgibbs@soterahealth.com

2015 Spring Road Ste 650 Oak Brook, IL 60523
630.928.1700   sterigenics.com