By Keely Brewer, Daily MemphianUpdated: March 20, 2023 10:50 PM CT | Published: March 20, 2023 6:09 PM CT
A study from the Tennessee Department of Health should soon answer a looming question: Does a South Memphis community near a known polluter have higher-than-expected cancer rates?
The Shelby County Health Department commissioned its first ever cancer cluster study last fall to learn about historical cancer rates near Sterilization Services of Tennessee, a facility that’s been emitting a cancer-causing chemical at 2396 Florida St. since the 1970s.
The company, Sterilization Services of Tennessee, has repeatedly declined interview requests.
The cancer cluster report is currently under review, but Dr. Michelle Taylor, director of the Shelby County Health Department, said the agency is prepared to share the study’s results at a community meeting on March 28.
Health Department Community Meeting
Tuesday, March 28
6 to 8 p.m.
Monumental Baptist Church
704 S. Parkway E.
The Environmental Protection Agency came to Memphis last fall to inform some South Memphis residents they have a higher lifetime cancer risk because they live near one of the country’s biggest emitters of ethylene oxide, or EtO. Sterilization Services of Tennessee emits the carcinogenic chemical as it sterilizes medical equipment.
The company is complying with current federal regulations, but the chemical’s accompanying cancer risk is about 60 times higher than the EPA previously thought. New federal regulations are in the pipeline, but a 2022 lawsuit alleges the EPA is already years overdue to enact more protective standards.
Since the EPA’s visit to Memphis in October of last year, community groups have pushed for Sterilization Services of Tennessee to follow in the footsteps of its counterparts near Atlanta and Richmond, Virginia. Those facilities have opted to reduce their emissions now, without stricter federal regulations mandating they do so.
The Memphis City Council has already urged Sterilization Services to reduce its emissions, and the Shelby County Commission will vote on a similar resolution Monday evening.