Unanimous vote awarded 35k to obtain ethylene oxide emissions data in effort to protect health and safety of Laredoans

LAREDO, TX - On Monday, the Webb County Commissioners Court approved $35,000 to launch air monitoring for ethylene oxide (EtO) at one northwest location identified by the Clean Air Laredo Coalition. This vote comes less than one week after United Independent School District (UISD) trustees voted to begin air monitoring at a Laredo school campus, making Webb County the second entity to take initial steps to monitor EtO emissions. This important act will collect hard data to determine actual risks to public health in the community. 

The historic vote took place after a presentation by members of the Clean Air Laredo Coalition and the Rio Grande International Study Center (RGISC). Recognizing the need to test for EtO in the area, County Commissioner John Galo said, “If you’re exposed 300 days out of the year versus 10 days out of the year, your risk is much higher, and those people need to know that.” County Judge Tano Tijerina made the motion which was approved unanimously by the court and met by loud applause from the court audience. 

UISD Trustee Aliza Oliveros and Coalition member, who attended the commissioners court meeting spoke to the court, saying “we are all concerned about the quality of the air we breathe. As a private citizen, not only am I concerned for myself, but I am concerned for my family members and concerned for the youth of this community, and so I plead for this court to step up to the plate and join United ISD in this task.” 

Victor Treviño Jr., attorney and Coalition member, again spoke about the racial disparities and environmental justice impacts Laredo faces as a Latino community. “The decision by the County to contribute funding for the monitoring of ethylene oxide is a monumental step to what historically has been a lack of regulatory protection from our State and Federal government.” Treviño said. “This is the definition of community empowerment.”

County Commissioner Cindy Liendo and Coalition member, who represents Precinct 4, placed this item on the agenda, saying “I know that our residents throughout the county are very concerned about [the reports of EtO emissions]” and advocated for the expenditure. Following the Court's vote, Liendo said “I’m so proud of the work that the Clean Air Laredo Coalition has done and grateful to the Commissioners Court for taking action to ensure our community can feel safe about the air we breathe.”

The Clean Air Laredo Coalition will be the vehicle to test schools that are most at risk of EtO exposure. Muller Elementary, located in Laredo, ranks in the top 1% for air toxicity among all schools in the United States, according to an air toxics study by the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, last updated in 2019. Alarmingly, the latest data from the EPA Toxic Release Inventory shows that Midwest Sterilization has doubled the amount of EtO emissions from 2020 to 2021 to 12,085 pounds/year, exposing the need for the Court’s action.

 Melissa Cigarroa, Coalition and RGISC Board member, also spoke at Monday’s meeting. “This vote today is a win for public health. We know that EtO is a cancer-causing chemical, and we know that alternatives exist for some, if not most, of the products being sterilized. Laredoans demand to know what their exposure to this dangerous chemical actually is.” 

Sheila Serna, RGISC Climate Science and Policy Director, said “We hope this victory will not only raise more awareness, but also garner more support towards our mission to protect both current and future generations of Laredo.”

Midwest opened its Laredo plant in 2005 and has become one of the top industrial air polluters in the U.S. It has emitted nearly 200,000 pounds of EtO into the Laredo air, according to  self-reported company data from 2005 to 2020. Both of its plants - Laredo, TX and Jackson, MO - made the EPA’s list of 23 high priority sterilizer facilities earlier this month. 

EtO is a mutagenic DNA-damaging chemical. Long-term exposure has been linked to an increased risk of cancer of the white blood cells like non-Hodgkin lymphoma, lymphocytic leukemia, and myeloma as well as breast cancer. A 2016 EPA report found that ethylene oxide is 60 times more toxic to children and 30 times more toxic to adults than previously estimated.