To Our Community
We understand you may have questions about our use of ethylene oxide (EtO) at our Lakewood campus. Given our broader healthcare mission and focus on community and patient safety, we would like to provide you with information about EtO and our company.
Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies (Terumo BCT) makes critical healthcare products that help save lives. Our products collect blood and cells from healthy donors, process blood and cells and deliver effective therapy to patients. We use EtO to sterilize many of our products because these products come into contact with blood donors and critically ill patients. EtO is the only viable, effective option to sterilize many medical products, including most of what we produce.
Our use of EtO is strictly regulated, and we are extremely diligent in our management of it. We meet or exceed every state and federal standard for EtO use.
Emissions at our Lakewood facility are far below the limits set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment (CDPHE).
Our emissions were already below our permitted limits in 2018, but we still took voluntary steps to further reduce emissions. Our current emission control equipment captures the EtO used to sterilize medical devices and converts it into ethylene glycol, which is recycled for use as a primary ingredient in antifreeze for cars. In 2023, we will further reduce emissions by bringing online a new system that will convert our EtO emissions to water vapor and carbon dioxide.
Importantly, state and federal regulators have identified no increased cancer rates in neighborhoods surrounding Terumo BCT's Lakewood facility. In 2018, a community risk assessment by the CDPHE identified no increased "incidence of [cancer] in the community surrounding Terumo BCT" compared to the rest of the state for the evaluation period of 2000-2017. (https://cdphe.colorado.gov/public-information/ethylene-oxide-and-terumo-bct). In 2021 EPA confirmed these findings.
Jefferson County has been home to our company for over 50 years. Many of our employees live, work and raise their families in the surrounding community. We remain committed to the health and safety of our employees, the community and the millions of patients and blood donors we serve with our products. This includes ensuring that public health and safety precautions extend to our employees and to our neighbors and families in the communities where we work.
Terumo BCT cares deeply about our employees and the surrounding community. We are committed to operating our Lakewood facility safely and continuing to meet the needs of patients who rely on our life-saving healthcare products.
Thank you for your interest in our work.
About Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies
Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies is a medical technology company. Our products, software and services enable customers to collect and prepare blood and cells to help treat challenging diseases and conditions. Our employees around the world believe in the potential of blood and cells to do even more for patients than they do today.
Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies' customers include blood centers, hospitals, therapeutic apheresis clinics, cell collection and processing organizations, researchers and private medical practices. Our customers are based in over 130 countries across the globe. We have 750+ granted patents, with more than 150 additionally pending.
Resources
Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment
EPA – 2021 report
EPA – 2022 information