U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth and eight members of Congress are demanding the federal government provide a timeline for ridding three downtown Chicago buildings and a courthouse in Rockford of the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease as well as harmful metals.
“We write regarding serious health and safety concerns,” the lawmakers, all Democrats, said in their letter sent Tuesday evening to the federal agency in charge of fixing the problem.
The Sun-Times reported in August that three Loop buildings — Ralph H. Metcalfe Federal Building, John C. Kluczynski Federal Building and Everett M. Dirksen U.S. Courthouse — have Legionella and, in some cases, traces of lead or copper that exceed safe levels set by the government. The Metcalfe building also includes a children’s daycare that detected Legionella and lead.
In their letter, the lawmakers said the Stanley J. Roszkowski U.S. Courthouse Building in Rockford was also found to have Legionella above safe levels.
Metcalfe is the Chicago regional headquarters for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Its employees — and workers at the Department of Housing and Urban Development — have filed grievances against their employers.
Durbin took the lead on the letter. It’s also signed by U.S. Reps. Sean Casten, Danny Davis, Jonathan Jackson, Robin Kelly, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Mike Quigley, Jan Schakowsky and Eric Sorensen.
“Exposure to Legionella can cause severe pneumonia, and elevated levels of lead and copper are linked with potential liver and kidney damage as well as neurological disorders,” the officials say in their letter to the Government Services Administration. “Studies show that children, in particular, are impacted by lead.”
The Government Services Administration, which manages the buildings, said in August that it was working to resolve the contamination threat at the Loop offices. The agency has not responded to requests for updates over the past few weeks.
Specific questions posed by the lawmakers include details on protecting health, particularly children, in the buildings and an expected date for remediation.
They also are asking how the federal agency is protecting workers against airborne Legionella particles, a specific concern raised by EPA employees.
Some federal employees “believe long-term exposure to these contaminants may have left them at risk for other health conditions,” the lawmakers said in their letter.