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Illinois EPA Urged to Halt Construction of Irradiation Plant

The Illinois Food Safety Coalition has requested the Illinois EPA to stop construction of a food irradiation plant in Glendale Heights because the builder has failed to obtain a state-mandated air pollution permit. The plant will release significant amounts of ozone, a smog-producing chemical that can cause health and environmental damage.
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For Immediate Release: September 28, 2001

Illinois EPA Urged to Halt Construction of Ozone-Releasing Food Irradiation Plant

Company is Building Facility in Glendale Heights Without Required Air Pollution Permit

CHICAGO — The Illinois Food Safety Coalition has requested the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to stop construction of a food irradiation plant in Glendale Heights because the builder has failed to obtain a state-mandated air pollution permit. The plant, which will house a high-power linear accelerator, will release significant amounts of ozone, a smog-producing chemical that can cause serious health problems and environmental damage. In addition to ozone, the plant will also release unspecified quantities of nitrous oxides into the community’s air.

San Diego-based SureBeam Corp. began work on the 56,000-square-foot facility in the High Grove business park in August. SureBeam is an affiliate of Titan Corp., a defense contractor that has adapted linear accelerators originally designed for the “Star Wars” program to irradiate food with ionizing radiation from electron beam linear accelerators. The process results in the formation of ozone, a highly volatile form of oxygen that is tightly regulated by state and federal environmental agencies because it is the prime ingredient of smog.

Glendale Heights falls within the Chicago area 8-Hour Ozone Nonattainment Area. The Non-Attainment Area program designates areas with consistent non-attainment of National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

“SureBeam Corporation has not submitted a single document to the IEPA estimating the annual ozone and nitrous oxide releases from the Glendale Heights plant now under construction, and has failed to file for the required permits according to Illinois clean air law and administrative code.” said Paul Fehribach, Director of the Illinois Food Safety Coalition. “It is incumbent upon state officials to order construction to cease, immediately.”

When inhaled, even by healthy people at very low levels, ground-level ozone can cause permanent lung damage, aggravate asthma and heart disease, reduce lung capacity and impair the body’s immune system, making people more susceptible to bronchitis and pneumonia, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Children are most at risk because their respiratory systems are still developing. Outdoor workers and the elderly are also particularly vulnerable.

Additionally, according to the EPA, ozone can cause a wide range of environmental problems, such as making plants more susceptible to disease and pests, interfering with plants’ ability to produce and store food, and, over time, harming entire forests and ecosystems. Ozone is also responsible for destroying a half-billion dollars worth of crops per year, including wheat, soybeans and cotton.

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The Illinois Food Safety Coalition is a non-profit public interest group focused on educating the public about food safety. For more information, visit www.illinoisfoodsafety.org or call 312-670-2801.
 
 

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