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Lake County to begin testing levels of cancer-causing gas

Posted April 09, 2019 7:00 am

The Associated Press

WAUKEGAN, Ill. (AP) - Plans are under way to monitor outdoor air quality outside two Lake County plants that use the cancer-causing gas ethylene oxide.

The (Waukegan) News Sun reports that the Lake County Health Department said Monday that sampling would begin by June 1 at sites near Vantage Specialty Chemicals in Gurnee and Medline Industries in Waukegan. Samples also will be collected at two remote sites to provide background levels of the gas.

The Lake County monitoring decision comes after Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker's administration shut down a plant in DuPage County earlier this year when high concentrations of the chemical were detected. However according to Illinois Environmental Protection Agency data listed on Lake County's website, emissions from the Lake County facilities are below limits set in their permits.

County officials also say both companies have agreed to install more emission-control equipment.

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Information from: Lake County News-Sun, http://newssun.chicagotribune.com/

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