Introduction
Ethylene oxide (EO) is a highly reactive, toxic and flammable gas which can act as an irritant to humans at room temperature. Since the 1950s, EO has been utilized for the sterilization of medical instruments that cannot be exposed to moisture or high temperatures, induding those made of polymers, plastics or those containing electronic components. Although the EO method ensures medical instruments can be sterilized without the deleterious effects of high-temperature sterilization, potentially dangerous side effects are possible,namely owing to the hazardous nature of the chemical. The lethality of EO is driven by an alkylation reaction with DNA, which also accounts for its cancer-causing activity.
