Company to blame for spill in Hamel didn’t clean up all the toxic dust, Illinois AG says
A waste hauling company failed to clean up all of the residue from dust containing toxic heavy metals that spilled last month onto Illinois 140 in Hamel and didn’t do enough to protect residents there, according to a lawsuit filed by the Illinois Attorney General’s office.
As a result, there are still remnants of the hazardous materials present in the community of about 814 people in northeast Madison County, state officials say. They are asking the company responsible to decontaminate property, including cars, and reminding the residents to wash vegetables from their gardens.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s lawsuit was filed June 21 against PDC Services, Inc., of Peoria.
Along with the lawsuit, Raoul filed an injunction for immediate action because the “negative impacts on the environment and human health and welfare” will continue until PDC cleans up the area, he stated.
The attorney general’s office and PDC agreed to an interim order on June 26 that states the company will start by submitting a number of documents within five days, including a plan and timeline for removing the residue and a proposed program to clean residents’ cars if they drove through the dust after the spill.
Janaki Nair, an attorney for PDC, said in an email to the Belleville News-Democrat on Tuesday that the company is complying with the order.
The dust was a byproduct of steel production from Alton Steel Inc. The lawsuit states that about 1,000 pounds of it spilled out of a PDC semi-truck on June 11 during a traffic accident. It is considered hazardous because it contains lead and hexavalent chromium, which are toxic, and cadmium, which is known to cause cancer, according to state regulations cited in the lawsuit.
In the days after the spill, state and local health officials told residents that exposure to the dust could cause eye, ear, nose or throat irritation, especially for someone who has asthma. They were also concerned about residents ingesting the dust, which is why they ordered a nearby fruit stand to be shut down before anyone could buy contaminated food, and advised residents to wash vegetables from their own gardens if they live near the spill.
The officials said anyone who had questions about their exposure should contact their healthcare provider.
Raoul’s lawsuit states that PDC failed to keep residents safe and failed to contain the dust because cars were allowed to drive through the area “without notice or restriction” immediately after the spill. It happened on Illinois 140, or West State Street, near the intersection with Illinois 157.
Karen Wiesemeyer, owner of Weezy’s Bar and Grill on 157, said she drove through the four-way intersection right after the spill, thinking it was just dirt on the road. A state worker later advised her to clean her car, so she said she went through a car wash and changed her car’s air filter.
After that, Wiesemeyer said she decided to clean off all the outdoor patio furniture at her restaurant, too.
She said she hasn’t been notified about the results of any sampling that officials did at her restaurant, looking for residue from the dust.
PDC hired a contractor to vacuum up the dust, the lawsuit states. Marta Watson said she was working at nearby Route 66 Creamery when the dust spilled out of the truck around 11 a.m. They were still cleaning it up at 4 p.m. when Watson left work, she said.
Officials told the workers at the creamery that they should get tested for lead, according to Watson.
The lawsuit alleges that some residue was carried away by the wind to “unknown distances,” some flowed through the village’s storm sewer into runoff ditches, and some remained on roads, medians, curbs, culverts, ditches, other property and buildings. Residual contamination was found in Hamel two days after the spill, according to the lawsuit.
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency referred the case to the attorney general’s office, asking it to file the lawsuit.
“This incident significantly impacted the local environment and directly impacted residents, along with personal and commercial property,” IEPA Director John Kim stated in a news release. “This action will ensure the company is committed to the remediation of environmental impacts and any impacts to the local community, and Illinois EPA will work closely with Attorney General Raoul to bring this incident to closure.”
How did hazardous material spill out of a semi-truck?
The PDC semi-truck was carrying about 45,760 pounds of the steelmaking byproduct from Alton to the company’s disposal facility in Peoria when the traffic accident happened at the Hamel intersection.
Raoul’s lawsuit states that the driver “suddenly applied his brakes” and when the load shifted, the tarp covering the dust tore open. Illinois State Police cited the driver for failing to properly secure the load, according to the lawsuit.
“This spill resulted in a significant amount of a hazardous waste being dumped onto the roadway, jeopardizing public health and the environment,” Raoul stated in a news release. “My office filed this lawsuit to ensure that the company continues to cooperate with efforts to clean up the contamination and address any additional effects to residents, businesses and vehicles.”
What does hauling company have to do to clean up Hamel?
The state is asking PDC Services to:
▪ Take samples of the soil and at each storm drain in the area.
▪ Come up with a plan to remove all of the dust residue, including from properties in the area.
▪ Clean the exterior and wipe down the interior of any car that drove through the dust on the road if the owner requests it. PDC is supposed to submit a proposed program to the state for washing the cars and replacing their air filters, which will eventually be advertised on Hamel’s website, villageofhamel.com.
▪ Power wash the storm drains. Crews were out washing the drains Wednesday on Illinois 157.
▪ Submit a report to the state about what caused the spill and measures that will be taken to prevent future spills.
This story was originally published July 3, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
