BD Sterilization Facility

Sandy, Utah

BD’s facility in Sandy, Utah is the world’s largest producer of IV lines as well as other vascular products critical for patient care. Products from this facility help in the care of more than a million patients every day.

To protect patients from the risks of infectious diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, and fungi, the FDA requires the sterilization of medical devices, including IV lines and similar clinical products.

In the final stage of manufacturing IV lines in Sandy, BD must use ethylene oxide gas (EtO) for sterilization. EtO is the only type of sterilization that can be used for IV lines and other sensitive medical products. Other sterilization methods (eg. radiation, steam, chloride dioxide, vaporized hydrogen peroxide) will damage the products or are unable to ensure the required level of sterility.

BD Sterilization Facility

Sandy, Utah

BD’s facility in Sandy, Utah is the world’s largest producer of IV lines as well as other vascular products critical for patient care. To protect patients from the risks of infectious diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, and fungi, the FDA requires the sterilization of medical devices, including IV lines and similar clinical products.

BD’s facility in Sandy, Utah received the 2021 Innovative Company of the Year Award from the City of Sandy.

BD’s Sandy Facility: Beyond Compliance

BD has programs and procedures in place to ensure compliance with all applicable regulatory requirements from EPA, OSHA, Utah DEQ, FDA and all state and local permits.
Uses the best available EtO emission control technology in the industry.
Significantly exceeds current Clean Air Act emissions control. BD’s facility in Sandy achieves >99.95% destruction of EtO from stack emissions. This level of EtO emissions control is 20 times more efficient than required by the EPA.

Investing in Safety in Sandy

BD is the industry leader in developing and implementing capture and control technologies to reduce EtO emissions in our sterilization facilities.

In Sandy, BD is voluntarily making significant investments to upgrade emissions controls at the facility to ensure the facility is below new EPA risk threshold standards for EtO emissions.

BD voluntarily invested $15 million to install new equipment in the post-sterile warehouse section of the facility in Sandy using a state-of-the-art capture and treatment system for residual emissions. The new systems have been in operation since January 2023.

State-of-the-Art Technology Investments Include:

LESNI Catalytic Abatement Plant (CAP) to control EtO emissions from the sterilization process equipment through means of catalytic oxidation.
Advanced Air Technology® dry bed systems to control residual emissions from the gas rooms, sterilizer rooms, and post-sterile warehouse through means of absorption.
System-wide upgrades designed to minimize EO emissions throughout the sterilization process.