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Environmental Issues in Chicago
Chicago can be considered one of the most important and influential cities in the Midwest region. With nearly 3 million residents, Chicago is a bustling city where residents live, work and enjoys themselves. Chicago is known for its industrial roots, producing steel, metal products, chemicals and other necessary resources. Chicago's success does not come without problems and like many major US cities, Chicago, Illinois, has to confront many environmental issues.
Chicago's industry is one of the main causes of its environmental issues. With the turn of the century, came of shift towards Chicago becoming an industrial powerhouse. Along the south river were a great deal of steel mills, oil refineries, chemical plants and metal-fabricating factories. Up until the 1970s, most of the waste from these industrial factories was going directly into the air or into poorly maintained landfills. Regulations and a reduction in industry have helped to alleviate these issues, but Chicago is still riddled with abandoned toxic waste dumps and vacant contaminated areas known as urban Brownfield sites. The presence of these hazardous materials is a major health concern for the city. Problems with pollution continue with a heavy amount of coal pollution still going into the atmosphere. Pollution from coal is one of the most pressing environmental issues in the world today, as coal is one of the most active producers of carbon dioxide and other ozone threatening emissions. Chicago's air pollution from the various smokestacks have resulted in some of the worse air quality in the nation and for this reason people living in Chicago and in nearby suburbs have some of the highest risks for cancer, lung disease and other respiratory health problems in the country. It should be noted however, that Chicago's burning of coal is not the only threat that the city creates for the atmosphere. Air pollution from automobiles, buses, trains and the Chicago airport are noted to reduce the air quality in the city.
Another of Chicago's main environmental concerns is water pollution. In the city's early period of growth, it was quickly seen that the Chicago River was a water source that easily became polluted. The problem was so prevalent that, in 1900, the river's flow was reversed away from Lake Michigan, which is the city's fresh water supply. This did not solve the issue of pollution however. The Chicago River is filled with raw sewage, dumped from nearby sewage plants as well as gathering a great deal of pollution from runoff. Many claim that the chemicals being dumped into the Chicago River are the cause of cancer, miscarriages and immune deficiencies in the Chicago area. Similar to the Chicago River, there has not been much change for the environmental health of Lake Michigan, as it is still being threatened by water pollution. Oil giants such as BP have continued to dump waste into Lake Michigan, despite environmentalist's efforts.
The story of Chicago's environmental issues is one surrounded with the growth of industry. The city is home to dozens of important producers of steel, oil and other chemicals, but it appears that the industrial success came at a great cost. The environmental issues of Chicago are plentiful, but are mainly characterized by air pollution and water pollution at the hands of industrial giants. Though the worst decades of pollution are over for the city of Chicago, it will take many years to recover from the environmental atrocities of the past. Abandoned toxic sites will take years to clean and make safe and this is made even worse by the fact that there is still toxic waste and chemical problems being created today. There are a lot of uncertainties in regards to Chicago's environmental issues, but one thing is for sure; it will be a long road to solving the issues of air and water pollution.
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