COVINGTON, Ga. — Becton Dickinson, a medical equipment sterilization facility, released a statement Monday afternoon, Oct. 28, informing the public that the facility does not foresee a decline in sterilized medical equipment availability due to the agreement made between the Georgia Environmental Protection Division and BD.

PDF: BD statement on agreement with State of Georgia to maintain product availability for patients

"BD entered into an agreement with the State of Georgia to ensure that the company can continue to provide critical medical devices that are sterilized in its Covington facility," the statement read. "BD is safely operating in full compliance with its permits, has proactively adopted the most advanced and best available technology and is emitting a fraction of its allowable limit.

"As a result of this agreement and BD’s business continuity efforts, BD does not expect disruption to product availability at this time."

The agreement - which was made Monday morning, Oct. 28 - had "resolved the state’s litigation filed against the company last week," according to the statement. The litigation was filed by the GA EPD on Monday, Oct. 21, with a claim that the facility had been violating Georgia law and rules after a week-long ethylene oxide leak from Sept. 15, to Sept. 22.

BD will temporarily cease operations from Wednesday, Oct. 30, to Nov. 7, and has agreed to "operate at a reduced capacity at Covington … not expand production at Madison … and implement certain operational modifications to further reduce emissions and protect product availability for patients," the statement stated.

BD confirmed to The Covington News that employees at the facility will be compensated during the temporary cease in operations.

"Our sterilization employees will report to work and get paid as normal, but they will perform other tasks while sterilization operations are temporarily suspended," BD Communication and Marketing Executive Troy Kirkpatrick said.