May 28, 2009 - According to the EPA, a poisonous alphabet soup of elevated levels of aluminum, barium, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, magnesium, manganese, nickel, thorium, and zinc is leeching into both underlying groundwater and sediments in the Oxnard Industrial Drain.
In 2007 a warning was issued to residents that elevated levels of radiation were coming from the fenced-off property.
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Water Contamination, Land Pollution & Hazardous Waste Material are issues families all across America are afflicted with daily.
Showing posts with label thorium. Show all posts
Showing posts with label thorium. Show all posts
Monday, June 1, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
'Perfect Storm' surrounds Chicago Contaminated Home
May 26, 2009- The first sign was a rip in the wall of the second floor. Then, the wood awning above the back patio began breaking off. And just last month a crack appeared in the cement floor of the basement. Drawing a straight line from top to bottom would connect all three defects.
Riess hasn't lived in the house for nearly 20 months because high levels of radioactivity were discovered in the basement shortly after she bought it in 2004. The contamination came to light after three of her dogs died of bone cancer.
Like many other houses in West Chicago, Riess' house had been contaminated with radioactive thorium from an old gas light factory nearby. However, unlike most of the other houses in the city, the contamination hadn't been cleaned.
More...
Riess hasn't lived in the house for nearly 20 months because high levels of radioactivity were discovered in the basement shortly after she bought it in 2004. The contamination came to light after three of her dogs died of bone cancer.
Like many other houses in West Chicago, Riess' house had been contaminated with radioactive thorium from an old gas light factory nearby. However, unlike most of the other houses in the city, the contamination hadn't been cleaned.
More...
Thursday, September 4, 2008
W. Chicago homeowner sues seller, agent over contamination
August 26, 2008 - Owners of a West Chicago house are suing their sellers, a real estate agent and her company, alleging they failed to disclose that the home was contaminated with radioactive thorium.
The 13-count lawsuit alleges fraud, misrepresentation, negligence and claims the property at 233 W. Stimmel St. is responsible for the deaths of three family dogs and the lingering respiratory illness to one of the owners.
At the heart of the suit is a portion of the sale contract that states the seller had no knowledge of "any hazardous waste on the real estate."
Sandy Riess said the sellers never disclosed that the property had undergone some thorium remediation, that it was located on a federal Superfund site or that the previous owners refused to have the land tested for radiation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
More . . .
The 13-count lawsuit alleges fraud, misrepresentation, negligence and claims the property at 233 W. Stimmel St. is responsible for the deaths of three family dogs and the lingering respiratory illness to one of the owners.
At the heart of the suit is a portion of the sale contract that states the seller had no knowledge of "any hazardous waste on the real estate."
Sandy Riess said the sellers never disclosed that the property had undergone some thorium remediation, that it was located on a federal Superfund site or that the previous owners refused to have the land tested for radiation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
More . . .
Friday, June 6, 2008
32 Chicago homes to be tested for Thorium
May 10, 2008 - Additional testing will be required for more than 30 West Chicago homeowners to determine whether their properties are contaminated with thorium, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency official said Friday.
The contamination led to two cleanups in the 1980s and 1990s.
mong the homes slated for more testing for thorium is that of Sandy Riess.
The contamination led to two cleanups in the 1980s and 1990s.
mong the homes slated for more testing for thorium is that of Sandy Riess.
Riess and her husband moved out of their home last September after radioactive levels 300 times above what's considered safe were discovered on her property. Tronox, the successor to Kerr-McGee, has been paying for some of the family's living expenses.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
W. Chicago neighbors banding together against thorium contamination
November 9, 2007 -
A new resident group has formed to agitate for disclosure and action on thorium issues in West Chicago.
The group, Protection of Lives Against Thorium, will hold its first meeting tonight.
Thorium is a radioactive element that causes cancer with long-term exposure.
"We're concerned that knowledge isn't being openly shared and efforts aren't being made to make sure everyone understands what's going on," said member Kathy Bentham, who lives near the former Kerr-McGee plant.
Thorium was spread throughout West Chicago from the factory over decades, leading to two government-supervised cleanups in the 1980s and 1990s.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Were Latinos left in the dark about thorium contamination in West Chicago neighborhood?
November 4, 2007 - Whites flee radioactive cleanup site, replaced by Hispanics. And all say they were left in the dark about thorium problem that's plagued the area for decades.
In the 17 years since she moved to her West Chicago home and raised three children, no one told Olivia Reza that much of her neighborhood had been excavated to remove cancer-causing radioactive thorium.
"It worries us," Reza said in Spanish. "We wouldn't have moved here if we knew."
The same response is echoed by dozens of people living near the shuttered Kerr-McGee factory, many of whom these days are Latino.
They say no one explained that, during ongoing cleanups that began in the 1980s, the site has been used as a temporary holding facility for contaminated dirt.
No one told them that studies have shown elevated cancer rates in the area.
More . . .
In the 17 years since she moved to her West Chicago home and raised three children, no one told Olivia Reza that much of her neighborhood had been excavated to remove cancer-causing radioactive thorium.
"It worries us," Reza said in Spanish. "We wouldn't have moved here if we knew."
The same response is echoed by dozens of people living near the shuttered Kerr-McGee factory, many of whom these days are Latino.
They say no one explained that, during ongoing cleanups that began in the 1980s, the site has been used as a temporary holding facility for contaminated dirt.
No one told them that studies have shown elevated cancer rates in the area.
More . . .
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Angry West Chicago residents seek answers from EPA
October 31, 2007 - Officials who have known for five years about possible buried radioactive thorium contamination on up to 100 West Chicago properties faced the public for the first time Tuesday.
At a meeting called to discuss the issue, a dozen frustrated homeowners grilled federal Environmental Protection Agency officials about why their homes may need to be dug up for the third time in three decades.
The owners of 96 residential properties were invited to the gathering, which included representatives from the city and Tronox, the current incarnation of the company responsible for the contamination.
More . . .
At a meeting called to discuss the issue, a dozen frustrated homeowners grilled federal Environmental Protection Agency officials about why their homes may need to be dug up for the third time in three decades.
The owners of 96 residential properties were invited to the gathering, which included representatives from the city and Tronox, the current incarnation of the company responsible for the contamination.
More . . .
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Illinois Couple Leave Home Contaminated with Radioactive Thorium
September 15, 2007 - More than three weeks after learning their home was an environmental hazard, Sandy and Rich Riess are getting out.
On Aug. 22, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials informed the company that tests showed the Riess home was contaminated with Kerr-McGee thorium, causing more than 300 times the safe level of radiation.
Until Friday, Tronox lawyers hadn't responded to requests from Mark Sargis, the Riesses' attorney, to move the couple out.
Tronox representatives had said only that they needed to examine the home and create a cleanup plan -- a process that could take six weeks, Sargis said.
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