Environment — News & Analysis

Trump’s rollback of toxic gas rules limits EPA’s authority to protect public health, analysis says (May 12, 2026)

May 12, 2026 — The Trump administration is proposing to roll back a 2024 EPA rule tightening limits on ethylene oxide (EtO), a widely used medical sterilant now considered about 60× more carcinogenic than estimates used in 2006. The Biden-era rule would have required roughly a 90% reduction in emissions from dozens of facilities, using continuous monitoring and stricter controls to reduce exposure for about 2.3 million people, many in low-income communities.

The rollback would rescind those stricter standards, allowing continued releases of roughly 8 tons of EtO annually, while saving industry an estimated $47 million per year. Public health advocates argue this increases cancer risk and undermines updated science on toxicity, especially since EtO is linked to leukemia and other cancers and is released near residential areas around sterilization plants.

A central dispute is legal: whether the Clean Air Act allows the EPA to repeatedly update hazardous pollutant standards as new science emerges. The Trump EPA argues its authority is limited after the initial review, while critics say this interpretation would significantly weaken the agency’s power to tighten protections. Environmental groups, including the NRDC, are suing, framing the move as part of a broader effort to restrict EPA authority over toxic air pollution.