Alliance of Residents Concerning O'Hare |
Press Release |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Jack Saporito
ALLIANCE OF RESIDENTS CONCERNING O'HARE
P.O. Box 1702 m Arlington Heights, IL 60006-1702
Tel: 630/415-3370
The O'Hare Airport expansion issue is really about public health vs. economics:
The question is, "Why won't Mayor Daley and, United and American Airlines
address it?"
At today's Greater O'Hare Association luncheon, Chicago's Mayor Daley sidesteps AReCO's question: "Are the jobs that O'Hare expansion will create, worth the determent to public health that is caused by the airport's air, water, ground and noise pollution?"
According to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency: O'Hare is the number one producer of hazardous and toxic emissions in the state of Illinois. If you factor in all the pollution that O'Hare creates, as if in a toxic-waste bubble, O'Hare is one of the top twenty man-made polluters in the world.
In the Chicagoland area, if the aircraft are flying over your head, you and your family are exposed: O'Hare Airport produces thousands of tons of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, volatile organic chemicals (VOC's), hundreds of tons of particulates, as well as, numerous chemicals designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as hazardous air pollutants (HAP's), every year. It is estimated that O'Hare creates more than 140 tons of formaldehyde, 25 tons of benzo(a)pyrene and 30 tons of 1,3-butadiene -- all linked to cancer.
O'Hare is a serious health hazard: These toxic chemicals cause a host of numerous, serious diseases and debilitates, including cancer; heart, blood, and lung diseases, reproductive problems, higher infant death rates, and many more.
The answer: Fill up the planes. Aircraft are only 40-60% full. Reduce the number of slots accordingly. Plan for our future transportation needs with High-Speed Rail (NASA & FAA predict that air transportation needs will triple within 20 years).
The issue is public health vs. profits: Are there better alternatives available?