Sterilization Method Impacts Packaging Material Choice

Earlier this fall, the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) released a fact sheet on ethylene oxide (EtO) sterilization to refute fallacies about medtech manufacturers’ preferred disinfecting method.
 
“A false emerging narrative suggests ethylene oxide (EtO) sterilization is ‘cheaper, easier, and faster than alternatives and thus preferred,” states the fact sheet, released Nov. 1. “Modern Healthcare called it a ‘relatively cheap process that easily penetrates products, making it an attractive choice for device makers.’”
 
For many device makers, EtO is the only sanitizing option due to product size, shape, design complexity, or material composition. Some materials, in fact, actually degrade under radiation or steam decontamination processes.
 
Consequently, EtO sterilization has gained favor with the medtech industry over the last several decades despite its high costs. AdvaMed’s fact sheet notes that ethylene oxide is “often the most expensive, time consuming, and inefficient” sterilizing method. It’s also a more harmful method for human he