ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
March 17,
1977
PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS
)
ex rel. WILLIAM J. SCOTT, ATTORNEY
)
GENERAL OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS,
)
Complainant,
)
)
v.
)
PCB 76—100
)
BRIGHTON BUILDING AND MAINTENANCE
)
COMPANY,
a Delaware corporation,
)
WESTERN ASPHALT PAVING COMPANY, an
)
Illinois corporation, WESTERN ASPHALT
)
MANUFACTURING COMPANY, an Illinois
corporation,
LANGHORNE BOND,
as
)
Secretary of the Illinois Department
)
of Transportation,
Respondents.
Mr. Marvin Medintz, Assistant Attorney General, appeared for the
Complainant;
Messrs.
Clifford
L. Weaver and Christopher
J.
Duerksen, Attorneys,
appeared for Respondent Illinois Department of Transportation;
Mr. Warren Fuller,
Attor’-iey, appeared for Respondents Brighton
Building and Maintenance Company, Western Asphalt Paving Company,
and Western Asphalt Manufacturing Company.
DISSENTING OPINION
(by Mr. Dumelle):
My reasons for dissenting in this case are
(a)
the Board’s
failure
to assess a penalty,
(b) possible severe health damage
(cancer) from the admitted gross emissions and
(c) the non-binding
nature of the settlement.
Apparently the heater—planer was grossly maloperated and large
amounts of black smoke and particulate material were emitted.
The
—2—
Stipulation
(p.4)
states that “coal tar” was being removed from the
pavement.
Coal tar, when vaporized
is a known carcinogen.
Coke
oven workers have been shown to have much higher lung cancer rates
than persons not exposed to coal tars.
Thus vast quantities of coal
tar
vapors
were
generated
probably
containing
benz (a) pyrene
and
other
strong
carcinogens.
What
health
damage may have been inflicted upon the public can-
not be known.
But if the “no threshold” theory of cancer induction
is correct, then some persons may contract this disease because of
poor equipment operation.
The settlement only prohibits the heater—planer when “alternative
equipment is not readily available”.
This is not a binding settlement
as
I read it.
Who is to judge “availability”?
I would have rejected the Stipulation and ordered it back to
hearing or assessed a penalty of $10,000.
Respectfully submitted,
I,
Christan
L. Moffett,
Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control
Board, hereby certify the above Dissenting Opinion was submitted on
the
J(~~-
day of~ju~~
,
1977.
Christan
L.
Mofth,4’)
Clerk
Illinois Po1lutio~’ControlBoard
Jacob D.
Dumelle