Employees of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) who work in the North Grand Avenue office are pressuring IEPA officials to further test the building for a number of contaminants, including radon, mercury and asbestos, all three of which are known carcinogens.
Ann Cross, Environmental Protection Specialist, says that “workers are suffering” due to the lack of action on the part of the IEPA. Cross said she has been researching the presence of toxins in the building for over six years, and said that many employees have reported breathing troubles, headaches, and various allergic reactions.
After a meeting with EPA officials, Cross said that “They (EPA) couldn’t afford to hire someone” to conduct further testing and decontamination.
“The gist of the meeting was, ‘We’re not going to do anything about this.’”
According to records, asbestos (which causes the cancer mesothelioma) and other toxins, including PCB and benzene, had been located within the North Grand Avenue building in the past. In 1997, in fact, the federal EPA branch actually fined the owner of the IEPA building over $20,000 for “improper labeling, inspection and disposal” of PCBs, which are also carcinogens. Back in 1993, an EPA consultant confirmed the existence of underground tanks, at least one of which contained benzene.
Cross and other IEPA workers are disappointed following the meeting with federal EPA officials last month, and due to the lack of action on their part, IEPA workers are “pressuring” federal EPA to move forward.
The most recent asbestos-related report for the IEPA building was filed by EPA in 2001. A manager at the IEPA said that some data is missing from these reports, including information regarding the twice-yearly asbestos testing. The manager contacted the state health department inquiring about the records and has yet to receive a response.
EPA has offered to conduct employee surveys to determine how many IEPA workers are suffering from illnesses.
The Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Center urges federal EPA to move forward with testing for possible contaminants at the IEPA building in the interest of employee health and safety.
The Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Center is a leading web resource for information regarding mesothelioma cancer, mesothelioma treatment, and more, and is certified by the Health On The Net Foundation as a credible source of medical information.
