CHICAGO (AP) - Federal environmental regulators say they’re significantly escalating an investigation into high levels of toxic manganese on Chicago’s Southeast Side.
The Chicago Tribune reports that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency action comes after the Chicago Department of Public Health tested more than two dozen yards in the East Side neighborhood. It was found that about 70 percent of properties were tainted. A map shows the most contaminated yards were close to a S.H. Bell Co. storage terminal.
The EPA now is seeking permission from more homeowners to have their yards tested. A community forum is planned Thursday when federal and city officials will share more details.
Pittsburgh-based S.H. Bell said in a statement that it “has gone above and beyond compliance with every regulation imposed by the EPA and the city of Chicago.”
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Information from: Chicago Tribune, http://www.chicagotribune.com
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