Environmental groups and local residents in the Metro East want state lawmakers to pass legislation that would ban the incineration of a toxic class of chemicals known as PFAS.
which advanced on Wednesday, would prohibit disposing of any PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) through burning, .
PFAS refers broadly to thousands of synthetic chemicals found in common household products like nonstick cookware, clothing and stain repellent for carpet. It鈥檚 also one of the main components of many firefighting foams stored at municipal and military installations.
It has been linked to , and exposure .
Members of the United Congregations of Metro East, a faith-based environmental group, gathered near some of the many industrial complexes in Sauget to voice their support for the bill on Thursday, which was Earth Day.
鈥淭his one step will be the beginning of us not having to breathe dirty air anymore,鈥� said Marie Franklin, a lifelong resident of adjacent East St. Louis. 鈥淏urn that stuff next door to your momma, not mine.鈥�
A statewide ban on PFAS incineration would have implications in the Metro East because
A spokesperson for the company said it doesn鈥檛 have contracts with the Defense Department or other customers to dispose of PFAS at the Sauget facility and that it won鈥檛 voluntarily take material that contains PFAS.
Environmentalists and local residents see the legislation in Illinois as an additional safeguard for communities in and around East St. Louis.
鈥淲e need to ban the incineration of [PFAS] and invest our money into disposing of it safely,鈥� said United Congregations President Cheryl Sommer. 鈥淚ncineration is not the solution.鈥�
She explained the country has an abundance of PFAS in need of disposal.
鈥淧rivate companies have stockpiles of PFAS, and they know it鈥檚 a liability,鈥� Sommer said. 鈥淭hey can鈥檛 just keep it around. It has to go.鈥�
She said companies may see incineration as the quickest way to dispose of the substance.
But that option isn鈥檛 well tested, said one of the demonstrators, Sarem Hailemariem, who graduated from Washington University with a degree in biochemistry in 2019.
鈥淲hat does burning do, what type of byproducts does it leave behind and what are the public health threats of the burned product?鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 one of the strongest chemical bonds that we know of. It is essentially indestructible.鈥�
With so much unknown, Hailemariem said PFAS shouldn鈥檛 be burned, especially near populated areas.
Franklin notes prohibiting PFAS incineration would be positive for her community, but she added that many industries still emit other pollutants.
鈥淭his is just the beginning of things that need to change in order to correct some of the harms that companies have done to Black and brown communities,鈥� she said.
Sommer expects Greenwood鈥檚 bill will soon be law in Illinois, especially after it unanimously cleared a House committee.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 expect any resistance because legislators of both parties see this as a common sense issue,鈥� she said.
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