Suburban Chicago residents sue companies they say caused their cancers
UNION, Ill. (CBS) -- A small northwest suburban town has been struggling with toxic chemicals in the ground around homes and schools.
For 50 years, the list of cancer cases there has been growing. An insider from one of the companies accused of causing the problem spoke to CBS 2 Investigator Dave Savini, who's been tracking the problem for over a year.
Scott Carr, a former maintenance worker, was terminally ill when he met with CBS News Chicago in May of 2022. Carr said he worked for nearly three decades at a company in Union, Illinois, where he was routinely told to dump hazardous chemicals outside.
"I'm here to help, I was part of the problem I was told do things you know, back in the day. But still, I should have known better," Carr said.
Carr explained his role as the former head of maintenance for Techalloy which became Central Wire Company and was called to testify in a lawsuit over people blaming his former employer for their cancer. Carr told lawyers in a video recorded deposition about the amount of chemicals dumped at any one time, "They would take 800-gallon vats and dump them on the ground," said Carr who later told CBS 2 that the dumping of barrels of a cleaning solution containing TCE-Trichloroethylene was a weekly occurrence.
Carr also blamed his health problems on his chemical exposure and believes it caused him multiple cancers, including his liver.
"I think cancers have some to do with it," he said.
Former Union resident Dana Harper blamed Carr's former company and companies from another site nearby for mishandling chemicals and causing her non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. When Carr heard about her cancer, he got emotional and said, "When I seen her on TV, I felt for her."
Harper is not alone in her lawsuit. There are 19 plaintiffs including several schoolmates from Evergreen School.
Lynn Alvarez grew up in Union in the 1970s and 1980s and went to Evergreen School. She said her cancers were in stage three when detected.
"I've been diagnosed with breast cancer and thyroid cancer," she said and added she's needed "chemotherapy, radiation, hormone blocker medication."
The mother of four first received a diagnosis at age 44.
"It took the mom out of me, if that makes sense, you know even though I was there [with] my kids, laying on the couch, sick, no hair, no energy," Alvarez said. "It took my breasts. It took my thyroid. It took all my female parts."
Alvarez blames the companies and, along with Dana Harper, is among the 19 people who are suing.
Alvarez and Harper, through their attorney Stephan Blandin, argued the importance of having a cancer study done on every child who went to Evergreen School.
"So we can track anyone down,and see how many cases of cancer [there are] compared to how many students went there," Alvarez said. "I bet there's a lot more than we know."
Since her interview, a resolution concerning the student list has been reached. In court last week, a lawyer for Marengo Union School District 165 agreed to turn over in court a list of students who went to Evergreen School. Once a list of former students is compiled, they may be given the choice to decide to share their names.
Alvarez said she is grateful that Carr went public about his role in the dumping. Carr said he wanted to be remembered for helping to try and fix things, and said he is finally at peace.
"I imagine he always carried a little bit of that guilt around with him, so he probably had to make peace," said Alvarez.
Carr died in June of 2023 because of his illnesses.
The companies named in the suit including, Central Wire, Techalloy, Southern Cal Company and Phibrotech deny the cancers were caused by them and that they insist they complied with safety standards. The civil lawsuit is set for trial in January 2025.