The Georgia Environmental Protection Division has closed its investigation into a toxic gas leak at the Becton Dickenson plant in Covington, a day after entering into a legal agreement with the company to temporarily suspend operations.
BD uses the carcinogenic gas, ethylene oxide, to sterilize medical devices. On Sept. 24, the company informed the state that it had detected a leak, eventually concluding that up to 54.5 pounds of ethylene oxide had escaped into the atmosphere over eight days.
The leak coincided with air testing that found elevated levels of the gas in surrounding neighborhoods, leading the city and state to seek the plant’s closure. It is unknown whether the leak impacted those air test results.
The state concluded Tuesday that the release did not exceed the reportable amount—10 pounds over a 24-hour period.
“However, EPD has determined the facility did not know the quantity of the release when it was first identified,” the final report says. “Therefore, they should have notified the State Emergency Operations Center upon discovery of the release.”
But the state stopped short of penalizing the company, citing the consent agreement approved by a Newton County judge Monday.
“Based upon the Judge’s entry of an Order that increases BD’s reporting obligations and requires implementation of a leak detection and repair program, EPD considers this matter is closed,” the report states.
A company spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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