chemical · input
Used to ethoxylate fatty alcohols to produce SLES (sodium laureth sulfate) and alcohol ethoxylates used as co-surfactants in most liquid cleaners and shampoos. EPA classifies EO as a human carcinogen (2016 IRIS assessment).
4
Source countries
4
Companies
2
Goods affected
0
Claims on record
What depends on it
2 essential American goods rely on ethylene oxide (eo) somewhere upstream in their supply chain.
Where it comes from
Share of global supply, by country.
| Country | Share of supply |
|---|---|
| CNChina | 30% |
| USUnited States | 30% |
| DEGermany | 20% |
| JPJapan | 15% |
Who makes it
4 companies produce ethylene oxide (eo).
Largest commercial EtO sterilization services company in the US (~50% market share); operates ~50 facilities globally including key US sites; faced multiple facility closures 2019-2022 due to EPA enforcement on EtO emissions, creating medical device supply chain crises.
American materials science company (NYSE: DOW, HQ Midland MI); one of 5 named dominant US IPA producers. Historical data shows Dow held ~12% of the IPA market from its Texas City, TX facility (906 million lb / 411,000 MT capacity as of ~2003). Dow's IPA operations are part of its Performance Monomers & Solvents business. Dow announced $250M expansion of its Louisiana IPA plant in Q4 2023. Dow's Freeport TX site is the largest chemical production complex in the Western Hemisphere — same campus produces IPA alongside ethylene, propylene, polyethylene, epoxy, and dozens of other chemicals. Dow is the #2 IPA producer in the US. Dow also makes high-purity electronic-grade IPA for semiconductor applications through its purification technology.
World's largest chemical company by revenue; dominant Western producer of food-grade sodium nitrite. BASF expanded sodium nitrite production capacity in Germany specifically to meet growing demand for high-purity pharmaceutical and food applications. Primary production at Ludwigshafen (world's largest contiguous chemical complex). Also produces sodium nitrite catalysts, sulfuric acid, and intermediates for pharmaceutical synthesis. BASF sells food-grade sodium nitrite to meat processors globally through distribution networks and third-party channels.
Irish-listed contract sterilization and sterile processing company; second-largest EtO contract sterilizer in the US and globally after Sterigenics/Sotera Health; operates multiple EtO sterilization facilities across North America and Europe; also provides gamma, e-beam, and X-ray sterilization; major contract sterilizer for medical device manufacturers including dialysis bloodline tubing sets
