GURNEE – State Rep. Joyce Mason, D-Gurnee, issued the following statement June 22: 

“On [June 17], the Lake County Health Department, Village of Gurnee and City of Waukegan completed their multi-phase ethylene oxide testing plan. I would like to thank each of them for conducting this critically needed air sampling and for their commitment to addressing this important issue. 

“The air samples collected over the past year will now be analyzed by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to produce a health risk assessment report and the Illinois Department of Public Health to perform a cancer incidence study. These findings will give us a better understanding of how this harmful chemical is impacting our residents’ health and allow us to develop a more comprehensive plan for combating ethylene oxide going forward.

“Last spring, I passed legislation that made Illinois the nation’s leader in restricting ethylene oxide emissions. While these tightened regulations keep our residents better protected from this carcinogen, I won’t rest until I’m sure that our families are completely safe from this harmful chemical. We must end the use of ethylene oxide in our community, and I look forward to continuing to work alongside my colleagues at the local, state and federal levels to achieve that goal.”