Chemical Industry: Compliance problems solved by Ethylene Oxide Scrubber at Specialty Gas Plant Chemical Industry The ethylene glycol produced in the ethylene oxide scrubbing operation acts as an antifreeze to allow year-round operation Problem: A specialty gas producer was confronted with an EPA compliance problem in dealing with ethylene oxide (EtO). The chemical had been added to the toxicity lists of the U.S. EPA and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Effective August 21, 1984, the OSHA standard for EtO limited exposure to a 1 ppm, eight-hour time weighted average. Ethylene oxide is used to sterilize many pharmaceutical and hospital supplies. Typically, EtO is supplied in cylinders as a mixture with Freon-12 or carbon dioxide. A standard cylinder contains 135 lb

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