Work Stopped at Michigan Plant Amid Air Pollution Concerns

A medical-device manufacturer says it will stop sterilizing equipment at a Michigan facility as state regulators investigate the company for air pollution, including for the release of a known carcinogen.

Viant Medical announced in a letter to residents this week that by the end of the year, it will discontinue sterilizing equipment and the use of ethelyne oxide at its Grand Rapids facility.

The state Department of Environmental Quality announced in January that it would expand air-quality testing around the plant. The DEQ says it will place 20 air sampling canisters in the area this month to test for ethelyne oxide.

The state Department of Health and Human Services says the colorless and odorless gas is known to cause breast and blood cancers.