April 19, 2021
Dear editor;
Aurora City Council members will be asked April 27 to vote on a new, 14-pump Circle K gas station to be built on the northwest corner of Farnsworth and Molitor Roads. We know it will be a difficult decision to weigh economic development against the health and safety of our community.
We know that most of the concerns of the Marywood Healthy Neighborhoods Alliance have been answered, to some extent, by the developers. Flooding issues can be explained by careful grading of the land to make rain water run to the south and east, but what problems does that cause for those neighbors? Ground water contamination may not be an issue, if the new tanks are, in fact, leak-proof and spillage is cleaned up with a filter system.
One serious safety and health issue that we believe is not solved by today’s technology is the fumes that are released during fueling of vehicles and filling of underground tanks. Dangerous volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including benzene, are released into the air every time a car or truck uses a pump. Benzene is a known carcinogen that is associated with central nervous system, neurological, and infertility problems.
These are not risks we want for our children, who are more vulnerable to the effects of these chemicals. According to the World Health Organization there is no safe level for benzene in indoor air quality. One study showed degraded air quality at greater than 500 feet from the pump, and the U.S. EPA recommends screening of all school sites within 1,000 feet from a gas station. As proposed, the station is approximately 150 feet to the nearest residential lot line.
I am particularly sensitive to commercial air pollution concerns because my cousin died of multiple myeloma, a cancer of the blood, after living close to Sterigenics, a company in Willowbrook, which used carcinogenic chemicals in their processes.
Sierra Club, Valley of the Fox, hopes that the aldermen and alderwomen of Aurora will vote against this gas station. Let’s use the precautionary principle: Take preventive action in the face of uncertainty, make sure that the proponents of this plan have proven that they will do no harm, and give the people a voice in making this decision. We want the best for our residents. This huge new gas station is not in the best interests of our City.
Mavis Bates, Aurora, Chair, Sierra Club, Valley of the Fox, Kane and Kendall Counties