According to the Illinois EPA, O'Hare Airport is probably THE worst hazardous and toxic emissions-polluter in Illinois. The air that we breathe from O'Hare produces hundreds of times more cancer risks than a toxic waste dump. It is the fifth largest producer of smog forming gases in the area, which produces serious respiratory illness. O'Hare's activities have significant impact on global warming as well. Concerning O'Hare De-icing fluids, the ground runoffs flow untreated into surrounding creeks and into our water supply.
Contamination is through ingestion, inhaling, and absorption through the skin.
O'Hare doesn't have to follow the same environmental rules that other industries must. As a result, businesses and private citizens must compensate by being regulated more and paying more. That is four states' worth of lawnmowers. A local physicist remarked at a recent town meeting, that the pollution levels from one 747 take-off is somewhat similar to burning down the local gas station and flying it overhead. At the Dec. IEPA meeting, Park Ridge obtained a commitment for the IEPA to monitor air quality, down-wind.