Greenwood Passes Measure to Crack Down on Dangerous Pollutants, Promote Safety of Her Community

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – State Rep. LaToya Greenwood, D-East St. Louis, passed legislation to prohibit the dangerous incineration of the synthetic substance, perfluoroalkyl, which has been shown to release excessive amounts of cancer-causing chemicals.

“My first priority will always be the safety of my community, and the incineration of these chemicals poses a significant public health hazard,” Greenwood said. “The science is unambiguous on this. Burning perfluoroalkyl releases carcinogens into the surrounding area and people nearby have been getting sick as a result. I am not going to allow such dangerous practices to threaten the people of our community—or the people of Illinois.”

Greenwood passed House Bill 4818, which prohibits the incineration of perfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Illinois, and allows the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to adopt rules necessary to carry out the ban. Sights near where PFAS have been incinerated have shown significant contamination from PFAS, which have recently been classified as carcinogens by the National Cancer Institute. This bill passed the House with strong bipartisan support and is now in the Senate for consideration.

“Keeping our state safe requires comprehensive and proactive lawmaking,” Greenwood said. “I am pleased we passed this measure before the problems of incinerating PFAS grew from a safety hazard to a full-on public health crisis.”