Victims’ attorneys: Sterigenics closure is a win, but families are still mourning

Following is a statement from Antonio M. Romanucci of Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, one of several law firms representing victims sickened by Sterigenics, the medical sterilization facility in Willowbrook, Illinois. Sterigenics announced on Monday that their Willowbrook facility would not be reopening. 

“Sterigenics’ departure from the Willowbrook area and surrounding communities will finally give its residents the peace of mind knowing they can lay their heads to rest at night without cancer-causing toxins being pumped into the air that they breathe, causing them to get sick and die. Unfortunately, decades of disregard for public health by Sterigenics cannot be undone in a day. Families in Willowbrook are still mourning the loss of loved ones, and many others are fighting life-threatening diseases as a result of this company’s actions. It is our hope that our lawsuit against Sterigenics will still be able to bring justice to past victims of this company. 

“This is a win, but Sterigenics proved again today that their motivations are only in the interest of a bottom line, not the welfare of the communities they serve. It made no sense at all to negotiate a consent order with the State of Illinois if Sterigenics had no desire to remain in the facility. We commend the lawmakers in Springfield for putting the safety and health of the community ahead of business interests when it negotiated the consent order. Thankfully, the new bill being introduced by lawmakers in Springfield will make it more difficult for companies like Sterigenics to poison citizens and get away with putting profits over the safety of people in the future. Sterigencis took the time in their statement to pin the blame on others for their departure, but it comes down to the fact that no amount of ethylene oxide emissions in the air is safe to breathe, and this company needs to change their business model to one of the other readily available sterilization methods that do not cause death.”

Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, Hart McLaughlin & Eldridge, Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C., Power Rogers & Smith, L.L.P., The Collins Law Firm, P.C., Tomasik Kotin Kasserman, Corboy & Demetrio, P.C, Goldberg Weisman Cairo, and Dolan Law are providing support for individuals and families who are suffering from cancer, birth defects and miscarriages among other catastrophic injuries due to these carcinogenic emissions from the Sterigenics International plant in Willowbrook, Illinois. Together, the firms are fighting to hold Sterigenics accountable for the reckless negligence that has resulted in the needless and continuous poisoning of men, women and children in Illinois for so many years.