[Peace-discuss] Re: [Peace] Toxic Site Exposed

[John W.]

My highest respect and commendation for those of you who have done, and 
continue to do, the relatively thankless research and community organizing 
that has brought this issue to the forefront of the public's 
attention.  And none of you is, to my knowledge, a personal injury 
attorney!  :-)

John Wason



At 06:19 PM 12/9/2007, Brian Dolinar wrote:

>A community meeting was held Saturday, December 8, 2007, at the Douglass 
>Branch library about Ameren's toxic site at 5th and Hill Streets in 
>Champaign. The 3.5 acre site is located in the heart of the north end and 
>it is black working class people who have been impacted the most. A former 
>coal-to-gas plant on the site is now gone, but a massive "blob" of coal 
>tar 40 feet underground remains and may be the explanation behind numerous 
>reports of cancer in the neighborhood, including two rare cases of 
>multiple myeloma.
>
>Approximately 100 people packed the room to hear about the information Ken 
>Salo, Professor of Urban Planning, and his students have dug up about the 
>5th and Hill site. The site most recently came to the public's attention 
>after CU Citizens for Peace and Justice, and its environmental justice 
>committee, began organizing "toxic tours" with Professor Salo, 
>highlighting the 5th and Hill site as one of its main attractions. The 
>group then began organizing a coalition, which was joined by Champaign 
>County Health Care Consumers.
>
>At the meeting, Chuck Allen and Andy Bloeser presented their findings on 
>the history of the plant and information they have collected from 
>interviews with local residents. Between 1887 and 1953, the plant at 5th 
>and Hill converted gas from coal for heating and lighting. The waste 
>produced from this site, coal tar, was dumped in a massive pit where it 
>has remained since. It is a veritable toxic soup containing polynucluear 
>aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene 
>(BTEX), cyanide, ammonia nitrate, sulfer, and fuel oil.
>
>Several community members were present at the meeting to express their 
>concern over the site. Kenyatta Chambers [pictured above] spoke to the 
>audience:
>
>"I live right across the tracks from the toxic site. My family has lived 
>in the house for 35-plus years. My grandfather died of leukemia, which is 
>rare, in 1992. My mother was diagnosed in 2002 with multiple myeloma, 
>which is a rare cancer, I had never heard of it. I'm concerned and I still 
>live in the house today."
>
>Another man from the community spoke up:
>
>"I have lived at my property for ten years. I was a semi-truck driver 
>cleaning up hazardous waste sites. I went out to talk to the water 
>testers. There were two guys with white jump suits on, they looked like 
>space men. My concern was, if this is not hazardous, why are you wearing 
>these white suits? My mother died of cancer. I have cancer now. My 
>daughters have situations they probably shouldn't be having at a young 
>age. I always felt something was wrong, I thought maybe I was 
>overreacting. When I heard about all of this, I knew something wasn't 
>right. They can cover it up because they got the best lawyers, the best 
>everything."
>
>A woman who lives near the toxic site and runs a child care service said,
>
>"I have been concerned since day one. I experienced some bad taste in the 
>water at my house and I called the water company. They were out in less 
>than ten minutes. I really grew concerned after that. I said there's got 
>to be something wrong in this neighborhood, because I would constantly see 
>someone out testing the water. I asked the question, is there a problem 
>with the water? Why are you testing it? They said, 'Oh, its nothing, we're 
>just testing the water.' I'm really nervous that there is something wrong 
>with the water, because they confirmed it. But I want to know just how far 
>the stuff is traveling. Because I have children there that I take great 
>concern about. There could be contamination and I could be guilty of 
>letting these children continue to be in this environment. And then 
>there's my family. They need to look at cleaning this up quickly. Because 
>it does effect our livelihood. That's why I'm here today. Because I'm 
>really concerned about it. I know Ameren has never knocked at my door. The 
>water company has never knocked at my door and said, 'Hey, there's a 
>problem. We need to address it.' I said there's got to be somebody I can 
>contact. But you don't know who to contact. You don't want to get a big 
>issue going. Everybody would look at you like, hey what has she created. 
>But now I'm convinced that there is a problem."
>
>Ameren, the current owner of the site, has registered it with the Illinois 
>Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) under the Site Remediation Program. 
>As part of this program, Ameren is required to keep the community informed 
>about the site, conduct periodic tests, and ultimately clean up the site. 
>In exchange, they have legal immunity from any lawsuits that may come as a 
>result of the site. It has been over 15 years since Ameren signed the 
>agreement.
>
>Many local residents said they have never heard from Ameren and had no 
>knowledge of the site's toxicity. Ameren claims they have left information 
>at the Douglass Branch library, but as of December 8, librarians deny 
>having any such materials.
>
>A local coalition has formed to ensure that neighborhood residents are not 
>side-stepped in the remediation process and that they have some say in 
>determining the fate of their community.
>
>A follow-up meeting will be held on January 19, 2008 at the Douglass 
>Branch library.
>--
>Brian Dolinar, Ph.D.
>303 W. Locust St.
>Urbana, IL 61801
><mailto:briandolinar at gmail.com>briandolinar at gmail.com
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