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| | SR2073 | | LRB100 23736 ALS 42783 r |
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1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
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2 | | WHEREAS, It is the mission of the Illinois Environmental |
3 | | Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) to "safeguard environmental |
4 | | quality, consistent with the social and economic needs of the |
5 | | State, so as to protect health, welfare, property and the |
6 | | quality of life"; and
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7 | | WHEREAS, The Illinois EPA exists within the Executive |
8 | | Branch of State government and carries out the Governor's |
9 | | environmental policy within the framework of State and federal |
10 | | laws; and
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11 | | WHEREAS, The Governor appoints the director of the Illinois |
12 | | EPA; and
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13 | | WHEREAS, The Citizens of Willowbrook and the surrounding |
14 | | populous areas of Southeast DuPage County are located within |
15 | | close proximity to Sterigenics International, a company which |
16 | | specializes in fumigating medical instruments, pharmaceutical |
17 | | drugs and food to kill bacteria; and
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18 | | WHEREAS, Sterigenics International utilizes a gas called |
19 | | ethylene oxide as a main component in the fumigation process; |
20 | | and
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| | SR2073 | - 2 - | LRB100 23736 ALS 42783 r |
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1 | | WHEREAS, The chemical ethylene oxide has been on the |
2 | | federal list of carcinogens since 1985 and has been linked more |
3 | | conclusively to breast and blood cancer by the United States |
4 | | Environmental Protection Agency in 2016; and
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5 | | WHEREAS, According to published reports, the Citizens of |
6 | | Willowbrook and the surrounding areas of Southeast DuPage |
7 | | County may be exposed to a strikingly-high level of |
8 | | cancer-linked toxins as a result of Sterigenics |
9 | | International's use of ethylene oxide; and
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10 | | WHEREAS, According to published reports by the United |
11 | | States Department of Health and Human Services, the cancer |
12 | | risks from breathing ethylene oxide pollution in Southeast |
13 | | DuPage communities could be up to 6,400 per million, or more |
14 | | than six cases for every 1,000 people; and
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15 | | WHEREAS, In August of 2018, the Illinois EPA declined to |
16 | | provide the Office of the Attorney General with key documents |
17 | | about highly toxic ethylene oxide gas emitted by Sterigenics |
18 | | International; and
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19 | | WHEREAS, It has been published that the Illinois EPA |
20 | | released said documents to the Office of the Attorney General |
21 | | only once pressured to do so by House Republican Leader Jim |
22 | | Durkin and Senator John Curan, who represent the affected area |
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| | SR2073 | - 3 - | LRB100 23736 ALS 42783 r |
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1 | | of Southeast DuPage; and
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2 | | WHEREAS, It is the moral and ethical responsibility of the |
3 | | Executive Branch to implement a sound environmental policy and |
4 | | to respond swiftly to emergencies that directly impact the |
5 | | health of the Citizens of Illinois; therefore, be it
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6 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL |
7 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we condemn the wholly |
8 | | deficient response by the Governor's Office to the developing |
9 | | health crisis in Southeast DuPage County; moreover, we demand |
10 | | the Governor's Office and the Illinois EPA's prompt and |
11 | | unreserved cooperation with the Illinois Attorney General's |
12 | | Office, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, |
13 | | local governments, and stakeholders affected in order to |
14 | | expeditiously resolve this crisis.
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