State Park Strewn with Asbestos

May 22, 2006 - Apparently, it’s not unusual to walk Illinois Beach State Park, located near Zion, Illinois, and find asbestos.  According to an article in the Chicago Sun-Times, the beaches of this pretty state park are often covered with the cancer-causing material. 

Because of that, a local watchdog organization has called for more careful monitoring of the park and the materials that wash up on the shore.  The most recent incident involved enough asbestos to fill two 55-gallon drums.  The material had been found at the nature preserve on the north end of the park.  The state’s Department of Natural Resources notes that it’s cleaned up the preserve and is currently testing the material.

Not so, say concerned citizens.  Quoted in the article, Paul Kakuris, president of the Illinois Dunesland Preservation Society, said large pieces of asbestos sheeting and piping remain exposed in the park.  They are also calling for an investigation by the Illinois EPA.

"It's all over the place," Kakuris said. "What [the state is] trying to do is cover up the massive new discovery of asbestos ... at the expense of the health and safety of the public."

The state claims, however, that the presence of asbestos in Illinois Beach State Park is an ongoing problem and that it’s doing everything it can to ensure the safety of the public. Spokespersons for the state claim that asbestos has been plaguing the beaches of the park since the 1990s and that the most recent batch of the dangerous material is from a recently demolished housing development. 

"There is always going to be asbestos at the beach," McCloud said. "This is not something that should be of gargantuan surprise."