Press Release, November 23, 2023

ALLIANCE OF RESIDENTS CONCERNING O'HARE, INC.
23-Nov-99
For Immediate Release:

Contact: Jack Saporito, (847) 506-0670

There's More Than Foam Coming From O'Hare

Photo from NBC 5 News

Arlington Heights, IL-- The foam discovered in the Des Plaines River appears to be a fire retarding agent discharged from Chicago O'Hare Airport. The foam, seen rising from the river many feet thick, has many people concerned.

Yet, more troublesome is the eerie feeling when one sees another airport or airline official trying to pacify the public on television, claiming that they have taken all the necessary precautions, as if their toxic releases happened only occasionally.

While the full effects of the rising river foam are not known; what is known, are the effects of the millions of gallons of deicing and anti-icing agents used for airport and aircraft operations that end up in our waterways each year and that is very concerning.

These toxic compounds kill fish and wildlife and contaminate our waterways with poisonous compounds that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has stated that they do not want one drop of this in our waterways. Also, the compounds appear to be hazardous and toxic to humans.

The extremely poisonous compounds that are used to de-ice and keep ice off planes and runways are no doubt much more toxic and are released in millions of gallons annually, then the foam that was released.

Prior to the Alliance of Residents Concerning O'Hare (AReCO) investigation, it was thought that the anti-icer compounds were only used during freezing temperatures. Yet, it was found, contrary to popular belief, the compounds are actually used during much of the year because of the colder temperatures in the upper-atmosphere and in much greater amounts than first thought.

As a result of AReCO's legal action against O'Hare Airport and the City of Chicago, the airport now claims that they are not using the toxic ethylene glycol based compounds and are now using propylene based compounds, claming that it's safer.

The Alliance of Residents Concerning O'Hare has publicly stated and produced credible evidence that the propylene based compounds are, in fact, 100's to 1000's of times more toxic because of the additives that are mixed with the propylene glycol based compound. These hazardous and toxic additives are used as anti-rusting, foaming, bonding and other agents.

The public, the communities and our officials need to be more concerned about the more dangerous compounds that are released as a result of airport and aircraft operations, that are difficult to see than the tiny "mountains" of foam rising from the Des Plaines River. Those substantially dangerous compounds are doing much more damage than killing the fish.

There are many questions that need to be asked, among them are: Why and who has allowed O'Hare and the City of Chicago to use the Des Plaines River and other waterways as a toxic waste dump? Why and who allows these hazardous and toxic compounds into our waterways since they must be reclaimed, not treated? Why is O'Hare allowed to use these dangerous compounds when safer methods are available? Why are people allowed to fish those waterways? Why do these waterways run through communities in which our children are exposed to not only the compounds in the water but the dangerous aerosols emitting from them?

The Alliance of Residents Concerning O'Hare (AReCO) is a grass roots organization of 1200 individuals and families, living in 28 communities that are affected by O'Hare Airport operations. It is based in Arlington Heights, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.