Fired employee sues Nicor, says he reported health violations

A former Nicor employee from Aurora has filed a lawsuit against the natural gas utility, contending he was fired after reporting potential health violations.

According to Bruce Brummel's lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court, Nicor violated the state's Whisteblower Act and punished him for speaking out about possibly contaminated water at its facility in Aurora.

Brummel claims that he and other employees were sickened by drinking the water, which he says was contaminated by methylene chloride leaking from a boiler.

The company has repeatedly denied that any workers were ever put at risk. It fired Brummel in 2004 after he brought his concerns to the Kane County Health Department.

Nicor spokesman Annette Martinez said the company had not been served with the lawsuit and she could not comment on it.