COVINGTON, Ga. — There is lingering concern over a toxic legacy in communities nationwide where people say they were breathing an invisible cancer-causing gas for decades.

Spotlight on America has reported on the potential health impact from ethylene oxide, known as EtO, for the past 5 years.

We recently visited Covington, Georgia, where we met prominent local residents who had faced a life-changing diagnosis. Connie Waller, Lisa Baker, and Shannon Buff each battled breast cancer; and Connie's husband, David Waller, fought both lymphoma and throat cancer.

Four prominent Covington residents tell Spotlight about their exposure to EtO and why they believe it caused their cancer. (SOA)

They blame a medical sterilizing plant that emitted ethylene oxide, a known carcinogen, for decades.

Nearly 100 facilities nationwide use EtO to sterilize more than 20 billion pieces of medical equipment a year, half of all sold in the U.S. The colorless, odorless gas was classified as a human carcinogen by the EPA in 2016. Studies have linked it to leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and breast cancer.

Smokestacks at the BD Bard plant in Covington. (SOA)

The EPA finalized a rule to dramatically reign in emissions last year, but the rule is now being re-considered, and dozens of sterilizing facilities have been granted 2-year exemptions from compliance.

The White House granted the exemptions because it claims there’s a “national security risk,” claiming any disruptions to medical device sterilization services because of the rule could endanger a critical supply chain.

A battle over clean air versus national security is now playing out across America.

Covington business owner and mom Lisa Baker during her treatment for breast cancer. (Courtesy Lisa Baker)

LANCASTER, Pa. — They answer the call on our worst days, but all too often, first responders are the victims of violent attacks on the job.

Over the past several months, we've worked to expose the disturbing trend and show how violence against first responders is a threat to all of us.

We obtained terrifying bodycam footage, showing the moment paramedic Melanie Kempf, was stabbed by an out-of-control patient in her ambulance. That patient grabbed a gun from a responding police officer and fired a shot, barely missing Melanie.

"It is not something I ever thought of in EMS that we could potentially get stabbed, shot, killed, somebody could beat us to death," she said. "And that nightmare happened that day."

Melanie Kempf describes what happened, as she stands in the very place she was stabbed by a patient. Photo: SBG

The nightmare Kempf described has played out across America. In just the last year:

In Kansas City, a patient stabbed a 29-year-old EMT to death in his ambulance.

In Idaho, a gunman lured two firefighters to a scene, then shot and killed them.

In Minnesota, a man threw a cement block at EMTs caring for a patient.

And in Washington, D.C., stunning footage showed a patient attacking and beating a first responder.

A nationwide survey of first responders found that 46% of those who responded reported experiencing a physical act of violence in a one-year period.

But the search for solutions to protect paramedics is complicated. In Washington, D.C., we recently attended a jiu-jitsu demonstration for training being considered for first responders, including tactics for EMTs to defend themselves or subdue someone who attacks them.

Meantime, departments are coming up with individual policies like patting down patients, or having more immediate access to backup police officers. Dozens of states have made it a felony to attack a first responder, but experts told us it doesn’t work to deter the actual crimes.

For now, there is a free online course to learn about workplace violence and strategies to de-escalate. You can learn more here.

We recently attended a training designed to help first responders defend themselves (Photo: Nathan Aaron)

WASHINGTON— There are an estimated 18 million veterans living in the United States according to the census and about 45,000 organizations set up to help veterans in need. Too often, donations are spent inefficiently, or in the worst cases, fraudulently.

Now, there are increased efforts to bring transparency to a largely unchecked system.

In January of 2023, there was a feeling of optimism in the air in the small town of Loris, South Carolina, just north of Myrtle Beach.

Off Highway 701, there was a groundbreaking for what would be transitional veterans housing, called "Providing Hope."

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But that hope was short-lived.

The CEO of Providing Hope VA, James Arehart, pleaded guilty in July 2024 to a federal money laundering charge after taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations to pay his own salary and personal expenses. He was sentenced to 21 months in prison, sending shockwaves through a community and bringing concerns about the damage the crime could continue to cause.

(SBG file photo)

Enter the watchdog group Charities for Vets.

Their website lists over a dozen examples of fraudulent, or at the very least, wasteful, activity by registered veterans charities all over the country in recent years.

To make sure donations are getting to vets, the group combs through the finances of America's top 100 veterans' charities, where fraud is less common, but waste often occurs on a bigger scale than some might think.

To see the Best and Worst charities as listed by Charities for Vets, click here.