ethylene oxide
noun
: a colorless flammable toxic compound C2H4O used especially in synthesis (as of ethylene glycol) and in sterilization and fumigation
Examples of ethylene oxide in a Sentence
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Environmental groups are suing President Donald Trump and his administration in federal court over their moves to exempt medical sterilization facilities using the toxic gas ethylene oxide in Georgia and other states from tighter air emissions standards.
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Drew Kann, AJC.com, 28 Jan. 2026
In 2023, researchers who conducted their own air monitoring in the industrial corridor of Louisiana known as Cancer Alley found much higher concentrations of ethylene oxide than expected.
—Lisa Song, ProPublica, 7 Jan. 2026
The rules that facilities are exempt from complying with include those aimed at reducing releases of ethylene oxide — a cancer-causing gas used in sterilization and chloroprene — which is used to make neoprene and is considered a likely carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
—Rachel Frazin, The Hill, 22 Oct. 2025
Higher autism severity scores and weaker daily living skills were also linked with ethylene oxide.
—Sharon Lerner, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ethylene oxide
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Drew Kann, AJC.com, 28 Jan. 2026
In 2023, researchers who conducted their own air monitoring in the industrial corridor of Louisiana known as Cancer Alley found much higher concentrations of ethylene oxide than expected.
—Lisa Song, ProPublica, 7 Jan. 2026
The rules that facilities are exempt from complying with include those aimed at reducing releases of ethylene oxide — a cancer-causing gas used in sterilization and chloroprene — which is used to make neoprene and is considered a likely carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
—Rachel Frazin, The Hill, 22 Oct. 2025
Higher autism severity scores and weaker daily living skills were also linked with ethylene oxide.
—Sharon Lerner, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ethylene oxide
Cite this Entry
“Ethylene oxide.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethylene%20oxide. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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