Viant Medical has signed a consent order with the state of Michigan to end its sterilization operations in Grand Rapids by the end of the year.
As part of the order signed last month, Viant — a medical devicemaker and sterilizer — also will pay Michigan's Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, $110,000 to settle claims that it violated the state's air pollution standards
The department accused Viant of failing to control emissions of ethylene oxide, a known carcinogen, when using it to sterilize its medical devices.
Under the order, Viant will shut down and cease all sterilization operations at the facility on or before Dec. 31 and cease all use of ethylene oxide at the facility by Jan. 31, 2020.
If the company fails to comply with the consent order, it will be subject to fines of as much as $10,000 per violation, per day.
The order comes as several medical device sterilization plants have shut down over concerns ethylene oxide causes cancer in people exposed to the chemical for long periods of time. Plant closures in Illinois and Georgia prompted the FDA to issue a warning of a critical medical device shortage.
Read the full consent order here.