Federal and State Regulators Fail to Inform Area Residents
An Indiana medical device manufacturing plant has been emitting a cancer-causing chemical into the air for a yet undetermined period of time. Federal and state regulators were aware of this ongoing Indiana industrial accident and environmental contamination since at least 2018. The Cook Group plant is located in the town of Ellettsville in south-central Indiana and has a population of under 7,000 residents. The toxic chemical being released into air by the Cook Group plant is known as ethylene oxide.
Overview of Ethylene Oxide
Ethylene oxide is to sterilize medical equipment of the type manufactured by the Cook Group at the site of the ongoing Indiana industrial accident. Ethylene oxide is also used to sterilize other items and in the manufacturing of certain types of spices.
Exposure to ethylene oxide can be harmful to a person’s health. The chemical is known to be carcinogenic or cancer causing. In 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency concluded that ethylene oxide is far more toxic than the agency originally believed. As of 2016, the EPA concluded that ethylene oxide is 30-times more toxic to adults and 60-times more toxic to children.
About the Cook Group
The Cook Group is a privately and family owned business headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana. The Cook Group consists of four main divisions:
- Cook Medical
- Cook Services
- Cook Properties
- Cook Brothers Insulation
The flagship enterprise under the Cook Group umbrella is its medical device manufacturing division. The medical manufacturing component of the company is expansive and includes:
16,000 different products
10 hospital service lines
Transacting business in 135 countries
Cook Group is ranked at #324 of the largest privately held companies in the United States.
Health Risk from the Indiana Toxic Chemical Release
According to the National Cancer Institute, exposure to ethylene oxide increases the risk of developing a number of different types of cancer. These include:
- Lymphoma
- Leukemia
- Stomach cancer
- Breast cancer
The National Cancer Institute has a specific warning at its website addressing the precise type of industrial emission occurring at the Indiana medical device manufacturing plant. Because of the spot-on and ominous nature of the National Cancer Institute warning, presenting that alert in this article is vital:
Despite these precautions, workers and people who live near industrial facilities that produce or use ethylene oxide may be exposed to ethylene oxide through uncontrolled industrial emissions. The general population may also be exposed through tobacco smoke and the use of products that have been sterilized with ethylene oxide, such as medical products, cosmetics, and beekeeping equipment.
As of this time, experts are uncertain as to the extent of harm residents of Ellettsville may have faced or even continue to face in regard to the Indiana industrial emissions from the Cook Group plant. The continuous release of ethylene oxide is documented back to 2016 and forward to the present day. With that said, it is virtually certain that the ethylene oxide airborne release dates back farther than 2016 and likely to the date the medical device plant commenced operations.
Your Legal Rights after an Industrial Emission Exposure
If you or a loved one have been exposed to toxic chemical releases like those from the Indiana medical device plant, your health and welfare may be in jeopardy. If you have questions about your situation and your legal rights, a Doan Law Firm industrial accident lawyer is available to assist you.
A nationwide law firm, you can schedule a consultation with a Doan Law Firm industrial accident lawyer by calling us at (800) 349-0000. We keep our industrial accident attorney hotline staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year, including all major holidays. We can schedule an initial consultation with an industrial accident lawyer at any one of our 40 offices, at your home, or any location that is convenient to you. We can also arrange a virtual case evaluation online as well. There is no charge for an initial consultation and case evaluation with a Doan Law Firm industrial accident lawyer.
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