Oxide

• Climate scientists have discovered that nitrous oxide, a key greenhouse gas, has a shorter atmospheric lifetime than previously modeled, decreasing more rapidly than expected. • This unexpected finding is significantly altering climate projections and forcing researchers to recalibrate their long-term climate models and predictions. • The discovery underscores the importance of continuous monitoring and reassessment of greenhouse gas behavior in the atmosphere, with implications for future climate policy and environmental planning.

• On March 13, 2026, the EPA proposed repealing a 2024 Biden administration rule limiting ethylene oxide emissions from commercial sterilizer facilities, which sterilize about half of U.S. medical devices like heart valves and pacemakers. • The rule aimed to reduce cancer risks to nearby communities but is criticized for threatening domestic supply chains and relying on flawed risk models, per the Trump administration. • Ethylene oxide debate pits public health protections against medical supply reliability, with evidence suggesting alternative risk assessments like Texas models better match human data.

The Environmental Protection Agency proposed Friday to relax air pollution limits on ethylene oxide, a chemical classified as a human carcinogen since 2016 and used to sterilize medical equipment including catheters and syringes. The EPA stated that current Biden-era standards "actively threaten" manufacturers' abilities to sterilize equipment and jeopardize domestic medical device supply chains. Public health advocates, including the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, warned that people living near commercial sterilization facilities face elevated lifetime cancer risks, while medical device manufacturers argue the standards could disrupt critical supplies. The proposal marks the latest EPA action under President Donald Trump to relax pollution limits and reduce costs for industry.