My exposure to Ethylene Oxide.

[Bogi1]

I have been exposed to Ethylene Oxide,a gas Used in the sterilization of medical devices. Diagnosed with CLL in 2016. My exposure was over a 4 year period ending in 1982. Could my CLL have been dormant in me that long? A!so have ME and Vasculitus.

[AussieNeil Administrator]

I presume that you have discovered this research?

journals.lww.com/epidem/pag...

Table 2 shows an elevated risk of developing CLL with Ethylene Oxide exposure, which is a recognised carcinogen, but you are talking small numbers of cases, which causes uncertainty in the calculations. Due to the chronic nature of CLL, it is possible to have it for quite a few years before diagnosis and it can take time from when carcinogen exposure sets in motion the initiation of a cancer until it becomes detectable. So while you may have a plausible cause, it's impossible to be sure.

Neil

[Doggoneit101]

Very interesting. I too was exposed to Ethylene Oxide from 1994-1998. I was diagnosed in 2016 but believe I had CLL/SLL since 2011. I found tons of information about the possibility online.

[livinglifewell]

I think when we are newly diagnosed we look for reasons WHY we have this incurable disease, what went wrong, was it my diet, was it my work environment, was I under too much stress, was it x, y, or z. The 'whys' will haunt us in the beginning. I also had exposure to sterilization chemicals used in cleaning endoscopes, and as an oncology nurse administered chemotherapy agents with no masks or gowns (this was how we did it pre-OSHA!!) in fact, we nurses would mix the chemo in a converted closet though it did have a functioning hood. Each of these scenarios could have been a factor but they may not have either. When we put things in perspective, those factors don't have a great value. We move forward because we can, which is better than looking backwards and wondering. Looking forward to new research, learning new things, becoming more intimate with friends and family, truly understanding what our bodies are telling us, finding joy in simple things. These are the things that I think are more important.