Honeywell Announces Deadline for Final Orders for Oxyfume Ethylene Oxide Sterilant Blends

Honeywell announced a March 31, 2013, deadline for receiving final orders of Oxyfume® ethylene oxide sterilant blends.

The company announced in August 2012 that it plans to end production of the sterilant, primarily used to sterilize hospital and laboratory equipment, in response to U.S. Clean Air Act regulations banning the sale and use of most HCFC-based products like Oxyfume in the U.S. as of Dec. 31, 2014. Honeywell plans to end production of Oxyfume before the end of 2013.

Hospitals and laboratories still using Oxyfume should send in final orders to their distributors now, said Jeff Czarnecki, global business director for Honeywells Healthcare and Packaging business. Customers that have stopped using Oxyfume should double-check their facilities for unused cylinders and contact Honeywell for return information.

Current and former customers are encouraged to check for unused cylinders and visit www.honeywell-sterilants.com for return information. Honeywell cannot accept cylinder returns after production ends.

Oxyfume 2002 and Oxyfume 2000 cylinders should be sent to Honeywell for recycling until production ceases later this year. Cylinders of Oxyfume 12, a CFC-based product phased out in 1995, cannot be received by Honeywell. Current and former customers should contact Honeywell for information on how to handle these cylinders.

Honeywell noted that it can cost more than $1,000 per cylinder to dispose of unused cylinders that are deemed hazardous waste.

For more than 40 years, Oxyfume ethylene oxide sterilant blends have been widely used by hospitals, laboratories and medical device manufacturers. It is estimated that more than 70 percent of hospitals in the United States have used Oxyfume in their sterilization facilities.