Illinois seeks compensation for residents exposed to radioactive waste

VENICE, Ill. – Some Metro East elected leaders are pushing for compensation for hundreds of residents who have been exposed to radioactive waste over the decades. On Sunday, those leaders announced they’re on a mission to do the right thing.

“What was once a symbol of our nation’s strength has been a reoccurring nightmare for this community,” U.S. Representative Nikki Budzinski said.

Budzinski joined Venice Mayor Tyrone Echols and local activists Sunday in speaking out about the site of the former Dow Chemical Company to highlight the need for the area to receive compensation for health impacts relating to decades-long radiation exposure.

“This site became a dumping ground for radioactive materials,” Budzinski said. “Dow’s original plan for this facility called for all radioactive waste to be incinerated. However, the incineration could not keep up with the increased volume of waste being generated.”

Elected leaders say that from the late 1950s to the early 1960s, the factory, owned by Dow Chemical Company at the time, processed uranium and thorium for the nation's nuclear weapons program. As a result, the site became a 1,400-acre dumping ground for radioactive materials.

According to Budzinski, more than 500 cancer cases have been reported in the surrounding neighborhoods, more than likely caused by downwind exposure to improperly stored radioactive waste. Despite this, the area has never qualified for assistance through the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), leaving residents without necessary support for the lasting effects of exposure.

“However, the original law never included the surrounding communities—so-called ‘down winders’—in a region of the country who have lived and suffered from the impacts in their neighborhood like here in Venice and neighboring Madison,” Budzinski said.

Last session, the congresswoman led an effort to include Venice, Madison, and Granite City residents affected by radiation exposure to be eligible for compensation under RECA, but the legislation was blocked.

Budzinski said she will continuing to push for inclusion of the reauthorization in the upcoming legislative session

“To those in the community who have suffered, we will not give up on you,” she said. “I made that commitment today… We are going to get this done for these communities because they deserve it.”