Niki Taxidis¹, Jason Schreiber¹

¹Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine

Ethylene oxide (EO) is an agent commonly used to sterilise medical and surgical equipment. EO is classified as carcinogenic by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, with limited evidence in humans, including breast cancer in females. EO is considered as having the capability to accumulate in air, materials, and human tissues. Clinical forensic medical staff and patients of lengthy sexual assault examinations can be exposed to EO and its chemical products, including ethylene chlorohydrin (ECH), by wearing gowns and using examination kits that have been sterilised with EO. Exposed examiners and patients are predominantly females. Concerns about safety of EO particularly in water has affected the kit configuration with a potential offset in contamination risk. The VIFM Quality department conducted a simulation test especially for EO and ECH, with sampling and laboratory analysis, using two voluntary doctor examinees. The analysis showed that all samples were negative for EO. Regarding ECH, only one sample, that is, from gown cut outs and neck skin was above the detection limit. Interpretation of this result is subject to further risk characterisation.