An Augusta medical equipment processor is closing permanently and taking all 213 jobs with it.

The shuttering of KPR U.S., 1430 Marvin Griffin Rd., will occur in stages, according to a March 10 letter sent to Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson from KPR's corporate parent, Cardinal Health.

KPR, Kendall Patient Recovery, specializes in reprocessing and sterilizing single-use medical equipment.

KPR sterilizes its products using ethylene oxide as a replacement for steam. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency identified the organic compound as carcinogenic in 2016, and in 2021, more than 20 current and former Augusta residents filed suit against KPR seeking to connect the plant's emissions to cancers, miscarriages, and birth defects.

Hazardous? Lawsuit claims Augusta medical equipment sterilizer plant's emissions add to cancer risk

The plant is closing on the heels of an announcement on March 13 from the EPA proposing to loosen current limits on ethylene oxide, citing that the substance is used to disinfect about 50% of U.S. sterile medical devices.

"The Trump EPA is committed to ensuring lifesaving medical devices remain available for the critical care of America’s children, elderly, and all patients without unnecessary exposure to communities," EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement.

According to KPR, 211 of its jobs at 1430 Marvin Griffin will phase out starting May 15, and it expects to be closed completely on or about Sept. 30. Two more positions in nearby offices at 1647 Perkins Rd. also will be affected.

KPR also hopes to play host to a job fair and an "on-site outplacement seminar" for employees, who will receive severance and a COBRA subsidy to assist with health coverage, according to Cardinal's letter to the mayor.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: South Augusta's KPR medical sterilizing plant closing, ending 213 jobs