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 UNOMEDICAL’S MONA VALE FACTORY & AIR QUALITY Q & AMonday July 30, 2007 1. Has the entire factory been closed? No. The authorities have ordered the company to shut down the sterilisation unit only and that has been done. NSW Health has advised local residents – “The order to the company to cease the emission of Ethylene Oxide is a precautionary measure to protect public health.” Limited production work will continue at the factory.The sterilisation unit is not to be used at all, until air quality issues have been resolved to the satisfaction of all the relevant State Government authorities as well as the local council.
2. What is the gas involved?
It’s Ethylene Oxide (ETO), which Unomedical uses to sterilise disposable medical equipment for hospitals around Australia and New Zealand. ETO is a gas that is commonly used for sterilisation by the food industry, medical equipment manufacturers and hospitals.
3. How dangerous is ETO to people living near the Mona Vale factory?
NSW Health has distributed a letter to local residents which states that – “…local residents are highly unlikely to experience any immediate health effects from breathing air with the levels of Ethylene Oxide estimated to have been caused through the discharge of the gas. NSW Health is waiting further expert advice concerning the risk of delayed health effects, if any”. One of our prioritised objectives is to always comply with legislation and regulations. This includes ensuring a safe and healthy environment is provided for both our employees and our local community.
4. Does ETO cause cancer?
There is some debate over that issue, with NSW Health advising local residents - “While there is no conclusive proof that the chemical causes cancer, the World Health Organisation has classified Ethylene Oxide as a cancer-causing agent (carcinogen) and the US Environmental Protection Authority considers Ethylene Oxide a probable cancer causing substance. On balance NSW Health considers that Ethylene Oxide should be considered a carcinogen.”
5. What’s Unomedical doing to satisfy the concerns of the authorities?
We have immediately provided the information the authorities have requested We’ve closed the steriliser, and have accelerated our air quality improvement program. Unomedical is spending approximately $ 500.000 on a new catalytic converter which will be in place in by the end of September 2007 Unomedical is in the business of saving lives through the medical equipment we manufacture. We have always prided ourselves being excellent corporate citizens.
6. Is Unomedical facing prosecution over the discharge levels?
Any questions along those lines should be directed to the relevant authorities. Unomedical has at all stages complied fully with all legislation and we are cooperating fully with the authorities. 7. What will this shutdown of the sterilisation unit mean for staff?
One of our priorities is to retain our workforce, and we anticipate business as usual in the very near future.
8. Will there be shortages of supply to your customers?
We are doing everything we can to meet our customers short term and longer term requirements. The temporarily shutdown of the steriliser unit may cause some disruptions, as it’s the heart of our operations here. But we currently working hard to ensure that major backlogs of orders will be avoided. We want to assure our customers that we’ll continue to do our best for them and ask them to be patient while we get this temporary issue resolved.
9. Why did the authorities order the company to shut down?
Because of concerns about air quality. Since we began operations here in 2002 Unomedical has been complying with all the legislation and has been operating with all the necessary approvals in place. We were surprised by the process and speed with which the shutdown order came through as well as lack of consultation with us. Considering the fact that Pittwater Council, NSW Health and The Department of Environment and Climate Change have stated that “…local residents are highly unlikely to experience any immediate health effects from breathing air with the levels of Ethylene Oxide estimated to have been caused through the discharge of the gas. NSW Health is waiting further expert advice concerning the risk of delayed health effects, if any”… Unomedical did ask for additional time to discuss the issue and the air quality readings with the authorities, however that request was refused. Our concerns involved the possibility that life saving surgery may have to be cancelled, around Australia and New Zealand, if we are unable to fill existing orders.
10. Will hospitals have to cancel operations now you’ve been shut down?
We hope not and have contingency plans in place to ensure essential supplies are kept flowing to customers. NSW Health says their experts advise that there should be no disruptions to hospital operating schedules and we take some comfort from that.
11. Is there a danger to the health of your staff?
No, there’s never been any indication of any danger to our staff. We take safety very seriously here and carry out regular risk assessments to ensure that our processes work well.
12. Have your products quality or integrity been compromised?
No, this is not about if anything has gone wrong in our manufacturing processes. Our production and sterilisation processes have had no abnormalities in the manufacturing of our products.
13. How do I get more information?
NSW Health, the Department of Environment and Climate Change and Pittwater Council say they will keep local residents updated with new information as it becomes available. They advise people with specific questions to contact these sources - Health issues Northern Sydney Central Coast Public Health Unit – (02) 9477 9188 Regulation of emissions Pittwater Council – ph 9970 1111 Regulatory support Department of Environment and Climate Change – 131 555 |
