The Environmental Protection Agency recently implemented national emissions standards for ethylene oxide sterilizers, used by some hospitals to sterilize medical devices. Contained in a final rule effective Dec. 28, the standards generally require hospital ethylene oxide sterilization facilities to sterilize full loads of items to reduce hazardous emissions. Exceptions include when central services staff, a hospital administrator or physician on duty determine that a less than full load is medically necessary, or the sterilizer has an acceptable air pollution control device.