Illinois EPA refers H. Kramer in Chicago to Attorney General for enforcement

SPRINGFIELD—Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Interim Director Lisa Bonnett has asked the Illinois Attorney General’s office to proceed with an enforcement action against H. Kramer, a metal smelting facility in Chicago, for the release of lead into the air that caused a violation of federal air quality standards, and potentially putting the public, including children attending a nearby school, at risk.  

H. Kramer is located at 1345 West 2lst Street, Chicago. In January 2010, the Illinois EPA installed and began operating a lead monitor at the Manuel Perez Jr. Elementary School in the Chicago Pilsen neighborhood. The Perez School monitor was installed as one of the additional lead monitors prompted by the much more stringent January 2009 change in the federal National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for lead, which changed the health-based standard to .15 micrograms per cubic meter,compared to the 1.5 micrograms per cubic meter that had been in effect for many years. The neighborhood also was impacted by several nearby industrial sources of lead and the Perez School monitor also responded to concerns raised by the Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization. In February 2011, the Illinois EPA received information indicating that data collected in October, November and December 2010 showed an exceedance of the new lead standard based on a three-month average of available lead samples. Illinois EPA and the U.S. EPA have been coordinating efforts to determine any and all emission sources contributing to the violation, including the inspection of numerous facilities in the neighborhood and the analysis of monitoring and sampling data.

Illinois EPA has inspected the H. Kramer facility several times and in March installed a second, temporary lead monitor at the Benito Juarez High School, four blocks southwest of the Perez School monitor, to further pinpoint lead emissions from potential local sources. The Juarez School monitor was strategically situated to allow a determination of the contributions of local sources based on atmospheric conditions, including wind direction. Initial results received late last week from this monitor indicate that H. Kramer is the primary contributor to the lead levels at the Perez Monitor. On the basis of the information gathered, Illinois EPA has referred H. Kramer to the Office of the Illinois Attorney General for enforcement action. The Illinois EPA is continuing to monitor the air quality in the Pilsen neighborhood and gather information. The Agency will work with the Attorney General’s Office to determine the appropriate technical remedies. The Juarez School monitoring data has also been shared with U.S. EPA Region 5 for its enforcement purposes as well.