– U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 has reached an agreement with H. Kramer and Co. on alleged clean-air violations at the company’s brass and bronze manufacturing plant at 1339-1359 W. 21st St., Chicago, Ill.
The agreement, which includes a $500,000 environmental project and a $10,000 penalty, resolves EPA allegations that H. Kramer failed to comply with testing and notification requirements when it installed furnaces used in melting scrap to make brass and bronze.
This settlement comes after an 18-month campaign by residents to clean up the century-old plant, which neighbors say has spewed noxious emissions into the air for decades. After a referendum in November 2005 calling for an investigation of the plant passed by 95%, neighbors mobilized an effort that included working with state and federal EPA officials, the Chicago Departments of Environment and Public Health, and the 25th Ward alderman’s office. They held community meetings, performed independent testing for toxics in the area, and conducted independent research.
“We appreciate H. Kramer’s willingness to come to the table and upgrade their facilities for the benefit of the families in Pilsen,” says Maria Chavez of PERRO. “We will continue to work closely with the EPA and Kramer as the upgrades are implemented.”
The most recent publicly available data shows that H. Kramer emitted 45,000 pounds of particulate matter, which is believed to cause breathing problems, into the air in 2003.* Documents provided to PERRO by H. Kramer suggest that in 2004 it emitted 1,200 pounds of airborne lead, which is known to cause brain damage in children. EPA soil testing of H. Kramer property in 2005 found lead levels up to 162 times the residential limit.** H. Kramer is located in a residential area of Pilsen across the street from a school and blocks from a public park.
Combined with other sources of industrial emissions in Pilsen, such as the Fisk Generating Station at 1111 W. Cermak, PERRO believes Pilsen suffers from a disproportionately high level of air pollution because of its industrial legacy, its low median income, and its density of first-generation immigrants.
“The people of Pilsen deserve to live in an environment free from toxic pollution,” says Leila Cepeda, professional child advocate and lifetime resident of Pilsen who lives and works one block from the H. Kramer foundry. “Just because this is a working-class neighborhood, the factories should not be permitted to poison our community.”
PERRO is a group of Pilsen residents that formed in 2004 to fight the disproportionate amount of pollution in the Pilsen neighborhood. Its mission is to increase awareness about the effects of pollution and create a dialogue among residents, businesses, and social and religious organizations in order to promote a better relationship between industry and community and a healthier living environment.
Tags: Pollution Filters