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There has been an increase in the mining of silica sand in the American stateof Illinois. And people who live near the mines are worried.
Hickory Hollow Campground is a popular place to stay for some of the severalmillion people who visit the Illinois River Valley every year. The campground, in the village of Utica, is a short drive from a state park.
“It’s a family campground where we have RVs (recreational vehicles), tentcamping…”
That is Sandy Esmond. She is the owner of the campground. She says thecamp now has a new neighbor -- a mining operation that is extracting whitesilica sand from the ground.
Before the sand is shipped, it sits in large piles near the campground. ButSandy Esmond says it does not stay there.
“Well, I have to take a leaf blower at least once a day and blow the sand off ofeverything.”
She says the sand does more than interfere with day-to-day activities. It isalso causing health problems.
“Well, a lot of people come out here (and), I imagine, (have) asthma, healthissues, breathing problems.”
Robert Cohen is a Clinical Professor of Environmental and OccupationalHealth Sciences at the University of Illinois at the Chicago School of PublicHealth. He says silica can be dangerous.
“Well, silica is a pretty toxic substance, especially freshly-fractured silica. Itcan cause a number of bad health effects in the body. So it causes cancer,respiratory cancers. And so that is another important concern with silicaexposures.”
Dr. Cohen has examined people who worked in silica sand mining operations. But he says little is known about the effect of sand particles in the air onhuman health.
“If the mine is a surface mine, and there is ambient wind that is carrying thisfreshly-fractured dust and your house is covered with dust and you run yourfinger along the surfaces and you find it, then there is some exposure thereand there probably should be some concern.”
The mining operation has taken measures to try to keep the sand fromblowing into the Hickory Hollow Campground. But Sandy Esmond says themine has not done enough.
“I’ve expressed all my concerns to them. You know, ‘Oh, we understand, weunderstand.’ But do they really?”
Ms. Esmond worries that the sight of sand on the campground will force her tosell her business.
“I hate to do that. We have a lot of good customers that come. Where are allthese people going to go that love to camp?”
Earlier this year, the Illinois legislature approved a bill to study the effect ofsilica sand mining on homes and businesses. Governor Bruce Rauner hasyet to sign the bill.
In an email to VOA this week, the governor’s press secretary said only that Mr.Rauner “will carefully consider any legislation that crosses his desk.” Even ifthe governor does sign the bill, the study would not be completed until January2017.
Our office has attempted to speak with silica companies, but we have so farnot been able to do so.
I’m Bob Doughty.
VOA’s Kane Farabaugh reported on this story from Utica, Illinois. ChristopherJones-Cruise adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
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Words in This Story
fracking – n. (sometimes called “hydraulic fracking”); a technique in whichrock is fractured, or broken, by a highly-pressurized liquid (usually watermixed with sand and other materials)
silica sand – n. one of the most common kinds of sand found in the world; it is used in industrial processing;
extract – v. to remove (something) by pulling it out or cutting it out
pile– n. a group of things that are put one on top of another
asthma – n. a physical condition that makes breathing difficult
pretty – adj. to a great degree or extent; very
toxic – adj. containing harmful or poisonous substances
respiratory– adj. of or relating to breathing
exposure(s) – n. the fact or condition of being affected by something orexperiencing something; the condition of being exposed to something
ambient– adj. surrounding on all sides
