STERIGENICS ANNOUNCES PLANS TO EXIT WILLOWBROOK OPERATIONS
FOLLOWING APPROVAL FROM STATE AND ILLINOIS EPA TO IMPLEMENT CHANGES
Unpredictable legislative and regulatory landscape in Illinois creates uncertain operating environment
Company remains focused on operating safely and upgrading facilities in other states to ensure
consistent supply of vital medical products
September 30, 2019 – Chicago, IL – Sterigenics, a leading provider of mission-critical sterilization services to
the healthcare industry, today announced plans to exit its ethylene oxide (EO) sterilization operations in
Willowbrook. The decision was made after the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IL EPA) approved
the company’s permit to install additional control measures at its Willowbrook facility and Court approval of
a Consent Order ending all litigation between the State and the company without penalties or finding of
fault. Despite these approvals, Sterigenics could not reach an agreement to renew the lease on its Quincy
Street facility in Willowbrook in the present environment. Given the unstable legislative and regulatory
landscape in Illinois, Sterigenics will not pursue reopening of its second location on Midway Drive in
Willowbrook.
The company released the following statement:
Sterigenics appreciates that the State of Illinois has clearly acknowledged the company’s consistent
record of regulatory compliance as well as the safety of the new controls we agreed to implement,
and we made every effort to reach a constructive resolution. Unfortunately, inaccurate and
unfounded claims regarding Sterigenics and the unstable legislative and regulatory landscape in
Illinois have created an environment in which it is not prudent to maintain these critical sterilization
operations in Willowbrook.
Hospitals and patients around the United States and the world depend on Sterigenics for vital,
sterilized medical products, and we cannot provide them with the certainty they require while
operating safely in a state that will suspend operations of a business despite the company’s
compliance with applicable rules and regulations. We are actively taking steps to ensure customer
and patient needs continue to be met by our other facilities and are working with our employees
throughout this transition.
Sterigenics will continue to lead the way in industry safety by voluntarily implementing new controls
at our other sterilization facilities. These controls will set a new standard for EO emissions and
reaffirm our longstanding commitment to go beyond regulatory requirements.
Sterigenics sterilizes and decontaminates products that protect over one million patients and
consumers every day. Sterigenics understands and takes seriously our responsibility to sterilize these
vital healthcare products while protecting employees and the communities in which we operate. We
are proud to be one of several companies that safely sterilizes critical and lifesaving medical products.
We continue to work with communities and regulators to establish the strongest possible control
environment across our network of EO sterilization facilities and challenge our industry peers to join
us in upgrading each of the more than 100 EO sterilization facilities in operation across the country.
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For more information, please contact:
media@sterigenics.com
2015 Spring Road Ste 650 Oak Brook, IL 60523
630.928.1700   sterigenics.com