[A survey of ethylene oxide sterilization in a hospital]

The health and environmental problems of ethylene oxide gas sterilization in a hospital are reported. Eight nurses who had been engaged in the gas sterilization, sometimes operated the auto-sterilizer in an inadequate manner; they exposed more than several hundred ppm of ethylene oxide once or twice a week. The main acute effects on these nurses after massive exposure were headaches, general fatigue and irritation of the eyes and throat. But no signs of polyneuropathy were seen. This survey suggests that there is a great risk of ethylene oxide poisoning while sterilizing instruments in a hospital.