The original article, which appeared on 26 July, claimed that: “the often sloppy use of perchloroethylene has poisoned hundreds of sites in Illinois.” It said that the taint remained despite clean-up efforts.
Fisher responded that the truth was that drycleaners were the good guys in this matter. As soon as the industry realised it had unwittingly contributed to pollution, it took the initiative in calling for legislation to establish a clean-up fund, which it would pay for.
Fisher explained that at the time of the contamination,[the 1960s] it was legal to dispose of perc through wastewater lines, which it was believed carried the water straight to the municipal treatment site. Sanitary engineers knew that these lines could leak as much as 20 – 50% of the water they carried, and in some cases even more, but this information was not made public at the time. The industry did not learn of this till around 1990, when they took action.
The article and Fisher’s response can be seen in full by visiting The chicago-tribune and searching for “toxic legacy”.
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