Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
Last week, the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) joined a delegation to Washington, D.C., to advocate on behalf of health care workers and Latino communities across the country. They sought to raise awareness about the growing dangers of ethylene oxide, also known as EtO, a highly carcinogenic gas used to sterilize medical devices. The presidents of the LCLAA chapters in Long Island and Westchester County, New York, Anthony Garcia and Maria Kercado, respectively, joined the delegation. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently issued a risk assessment that found EtO presents a high cancer risk for workers in sterilization facilities, and is a severe threat to health care workers and the general public.
The delegation was led by Earthjustice and met with officials from the EPA, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the White House, and several congressional offices, including Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Ed Markey (Mass.), Cory Booker (N.J.) and John Fetterman (Pa.) and Rep. Yvette Clarke (N.Y.). The delegation urged the members of Congress and agency officials to call on the EPA to do more to protect health care workers and the general public.