Protect Starved Rock and The Illinois Valley
The desctruction and loss of Midwest farmland and the contamination of the Illinois Valley from frac sand mining and chemical manufacturing.
Carus Chemical is the only producer of potassium permanganate and sodium permanganate in the Western Hemisphere.
This explains a lot about the lack of accountability, and the City of LaSalle bending over backwards and covering for Carus as residents became aware of illegally stored product in a crumbling building behind their homes.
Because of its unique geology and minerals, La Salle County, Illinois, has become a center for resource extraction and chemical manufacturing.
LaSalle 4th Ward former alderman Mark Schneider gives his thoughts on the Sierra Club‘s presentation at the LaSalle City Council meeting on Monday, March 6
“Now that we have test results, not only do these air filters to show all these heavy metals, we have soil test results from a yard that was cleaned up in the EPA Superfund cleanup, and now with soil testing has shown that it has actually a higher heavy metal contents than it did prior to the superfund cleanup.”
by: John Small, Starved Rock Media, March 7, 2023
LaSalle City Council got grim numbers about the Carus Chemical fire Monday night. At Mayor Jeff Grove’s invitation, the Sierra Club‘s MIla Kellen Marshall P.hD and Denise Trabbic-Pointer spoke to the Council about testing done immediately after the January 11th fire. Speaking by phone from Michigan, Trabbic-Pointer said particulate matter was sampled for about 19 hours after the blaze.
This dust is so fine, she said, it gets into the deepest parts of the lungs. More troubling said Trabbic-Pointer, were results showing levels 12 points above the 24-hour regulatory limit. Later, an examination of eight furnace filters taken from affected homes showed the presence of the metals Barium, Copper, Lead, Manganese and Zinc. Alderman Jim Bacidore asked Trabbic-Pointer is it safe outside for kids and pets:
For almost two hours, residents whose property took the brunt of the chemical laden smoke, took more shots at Carus and sometimes the city. The question of legal action against Carus was discussed. City Attorney Jim McPhedran said it’s something that’s costly and a deeply involved process. Carus Chemical officials continue to duck City Council meetings.
Protect Starved Rock and The Illinois Valley 
