Asbestos testing results for Illinois' Oak Street Beach are being questioned

Chicago, IL – An Environmental Protection Agency scientist is urging Chicago Park District officials to retest Oak Street Beach for dangerous levels of asbestos.

James Webber, a scientist on the national EPA’s asbestos advisory board, currently teaches at the State University of New York in Albany. He has joined forces with the Illinois Dunesland Preservation Society to call attention to a past Oak Street asbestos test, which they believe produced inaccurate results due to poor testing procedures and led the public to falsely believe that the beach was safe.

In 2004, scientists from the University of Illinois at Chicago conducted an asbestos study at Oak Street Beach. Their findings were very unsettling – 11 out of 12 samples taken tested positive for asbestos fibers. To make matters worse, amphibole, the most hazardous form of asbestos was discovered in the samples.

After hearing about this, the Chicago Park District hired Levine Fricke, an environmental management and consulting firm, to conduct its own tests to confirm the results. According to the new test results, the level of asbestos was extremely low, and Oak Street Beach was deemed safe for the public.

Mr. Webber and the Illinois DPS point to an accepted fact that the air filters Levine Fricke initially used for the testing became clogged and inoperable so the company had to change the type of filters they used. The company said it used new filters that were larger because they wouldn’t as easily become clogged; however, the DPS is concerned that the larger filters, consequently, captured less asbestos and the test results reflected this.

The Chicago Park District responded to these claims, saying that it respected Levine Fricke’s methods and believed the test results weren’t significantly altered because of the filter size.

The Chicago EPA Superfund chief has requested a review of the testing.

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