Possible relationship of ethylene oxide exposure to cataract formation

We examined 12 men whose work involved exposure to ethylene oxide sterilizers after one sterilizer developed a leak. Only the four men who had worked on the leaking sterilizer developed neurologic abnormalities. Three of them also developed cataracts, and one required bilateral cataract extractions. Four men, two of whom had not worked on the leaking sterilizer, had increased central corneal thickness with normal endothelial cell counts.