In 2024, a group of Southeast L.A. residents filed a lawsuit against Sterigenics, a company that uses a controversial chemical to sterilize medical equipment.
This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting,On Thursday, those plaintiffs cleared a key hurdle that now paves the way for their case to potentially move forward to a trial or settlement.
Residents say Sterigenics has knowingly exposed them and their neighbors to unsafe levels of ethylene oxide for decades, without warning them of the potential health risks. Ethylene oxide is a colorless gas that’s central to the sterilization process — it’s also a known carcinogen. If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.
In the nearly two years that residents have been seeking relief from the court, dozens of other local residents have also filed lawsuits against the company, along with people who were diagnosed with cancer after working at a business that operates next to Sterigenics. The company, which has denied wrongdoing, filed several motions for summary judgment against the plaintiffs — a legal tool that can be used to keep cases from going to trial.
But after two days of back and forth in a downtown L.A. courthouse, Judge Lawrence Riff denied all the motions. Most of the plaintiffs in the original case have been diagnosed with breast cancer. The others — including a toddler and a man who fell ill when he was in high school — have been diagnosed with leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, stomach cancer or other conditions. The plaintiffs also include long-term Maywood residents who’ve lost a parent or spouse.
All of them have lived less than a mile away from Sterigenics. If the near-disaster in Orange County has you worried, you can find out about facilities near you — and keep tabs on them by getting involved with government regulators. Plaintiffs in a lawsuit against a medical sterilizer using ethylene oxide include cancer patients in the city of Maywood, as well as residents who’ve lost loved ones. The company denies wrongdoing.
Years of putrid odors, scores of complaints. The fight over a facility that recycles dead animals in Southeast LA Baker Commodities Inc. in the city of Vernon is suing the government agency that oversees it for $200 million in damages. Neighbors had celebrated its temporary shutdown. Now an upcoming court decision could allow a full reopening.
Court documents show that the Maywood residents want a jury trial and seek compensation for past and future medical expenses, funeral costs, lost wages, and the fear and “mental anguish” of being sick or watching a family member die.immediately notify regulators when their equipment breaks down;and pay additional penalties to deter the company from committing future violations. The group filed its lawsuit against Sterigenics and its affiliates in March 2024.
Other residents filed at least six more lawsuits later in 2024 and 2025. Two more local lawsuits have been filed against the company this year. Plaintiffs in these other cases seek similar compensation. Sterigenics runs two facilities in Vernon.
Every year, the company sterilizes more than 45 million medical supplies, including surgical kits, syringes, heart valves, and pacemakers. These products then go out to nearly 100 healthcare manufacturers.located five miles southeast of downtown L.A. Maywood is an adjoining city with more than 23,000 residents, most of whom are Latino and working class. At the hearings this week, attorneys for Sterigenics and its parent company, Sotera Health, insisted there’s not enough ethylene oxide flowing in the neighborhood to cause cancer.
According to Judge Riff, the methodology of an expert Sterigenics relied on was “not sufficiently reasoned,” in part because her assessment of ethylene oxide emissions in the area surrounding the facility did not account for changes over multiple decades. You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community.
We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead . Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community. Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved.
The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California. Detained and facing deportation: A father leaves his 4-year-old son back in LA
Ethylene Oxide Sterigenics Superior Court
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
The Mets’ Season Feels Lost — Until You Remember 2024It was May 29, 2024. Reliever Jorge López had just allowed a two-run home run to Shohei Ohtani, then followed it up with a heated argument with third-base umpir
Read more »
Love Island 2024 Cast: Fans Spot Uncanny Resemblance to Past Contestants in New 'Temu Clone' IslandersAs Love Island returns for its 13th series, social media users have pointed out striking similarities between the new cast and previous contestants, dubbing them 'Temu clones'. A detailed comparison reveals doppelgängers spanning multiple seasons, with physical appearance, names, and even relationship strategies echoing past Islanders.
Read more »
Mallory Swanson returns to the USWNT first the first time since the 2024 Paris OlympicsTriple Espresso is back
Read more »
Cancer-causing chemicalsJudge: Lawsuit against Sterigenics can go forward
Read more »