About 11, 250 suburban Chicago residents have potentially suffered long-term exposure to cancer causing chemicals through contaminated well water, according to a recent report in the Chicago Tribune. The report has prompted Illinois Governor Pat Quinn to order an inquiry into why Crestwood residents were not informed about the contaminated drinking water.
The well water was reportedly polluted with vinyl chloride and perchloroethylene, which are believed to have originated from dry-cleaning facilities located in the area. Both of these chemicals are known carcinogens and are also associated with other severe health problems.
According to the Tribune report the contamination went on for years before the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) put a stop to it. Furthermore, the EPA never notified the residents that they were at risk.
While there is a law, initiated in 2005, which states that a notification must be issued if residents are exposed to contamination through groundwater or soil, a loophole in the law allows for environmental regulators to notify city officials only, and not the residents, and this appears to by what has happened.
APRIL-22-09: Contaminated drinking water discovered [UPI: CONTAMINATED DRINKING WATER DISCOVERED IN ILLINOIS]
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Last updated on Apr-22-09 |
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