Home
Former Carnotite Reduction Company Site Remediation Project
SITE LOCATED AT 434 E. 26TH ST.
The Carnotite Reduction Company operated a radium processing facility in the early 1900s near what is now 434 E. 26th Street. The site was later occupied by the former Michael Reese Hospital and purchased by the City of Chicago in 2009. Site investigations performed at Carnotite identified radiologically-contaminated soil present beneath the surface. The contamination does not pose an immediate threat to human health or the environment, but the City is required by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) to remove the contaminated soil.
On April 20, 2023, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) terminated the radioactive material license for the site.
Site History
From approximately 1916 to 1921, Carnotite Reduction Company (Carnotite) operated an elemental radium separation and refining facility in Chicago in the vicinity of 2600 S. Inglehart Place, a street that no longer exists. Carnotite operated near what is now 434 E. 26th Street, Chicago, Illinois. The majority of this property later became part of the land occupied by the former Michael Reese Hospital (Site). The City of Chicago purchased the 37-acre former Michael Reese property in June 2009 and is the current owner.
In 1979, the State of Illinois Department of Health, Division of Radiological Health (a predecessor to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA)), in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), conducted a radiological surface survey of the northern portion of the Michael Reese property near 26th Street, and identified areas of elevated radioactivity. State personnel concluded that the contamination did not pose an immediate health hazard but should be considered prior to any future construction.
Radium, Thorium, and Uranium Contamination Investigations
Several subsequent investigations have been conducted since the City acquired ownership in 2009, including surficial gamma surveys, down-hole gamma logging, and analyses of soil samples, in order to estimate the extent of radiological contamination believed to have resulted from Carnotite’s refining operations. These investigations have documented radium, thorium, and uranium contaminated soil beneath and in the vicinity of 26th Street from Martin Luther King Jr. Drive to Ellis Avenue within the northwest portion of the Site. Contamination has been defined to the south, west, and east and to the City’s northern property line. Most impacted material is limited to the top 5 feet below ground surface (bgs) but extends to approximately 12 feet bgs within one area in the northwest portion of the Site. A brief timeline of key investigations is provided below:
- August 2009 - IEMA conducted a gamma surface survey, observed readings of gamma activity, and recommended to the City of Chicago further investigation prior to invasive construction work.
- December 2009 - EPA conducted a surface gamma survey at the Site and confirmed presence of elevated surficial gamma activity.
- April/May 2012- Subsurface investigations confirmed the presence of elevated levels of radium and uranium in subsurface soil.
- November 2013 - Subsurface investigations of the remainder of the Michael Reese Site substantiated that radiological contamination is not present outside of the documented contamination at the northwest end.
- December 2013 - IDPH issued a Letter Health Consultation regarding the Site and estimated that public dose rates for commuters traversing accessible portions of the Site would be 21.6 mrem/yr, which is less than the 100 mrem/yr of exposure greater than normal background permitted for the general public by EPA and the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
- July 2018 thru February 2020 – AIS conducted additional subsurface soil and groundwater sampling to confirm the maximum depth of contamination and gather data needed to prepare construction bid documents for the removal of the radiological contaminated material.
Radioactive Material Storage and Decommissioning Plan
In October 2013, the IEMA Division of Nuclear Safety became the lead regulatory agency for the Site. On July 10, 2015, IEMA issued the Department of Assets, Information and Services (AIS) (formerly the Department of Fleet and Facility Management) a Radioactive Materials License IL-02467-01 for the possession and storage of radioactive material associated with Carnotite and located on City property and in the public right-of-way. This license is renewed annually and on May 19, 2020, the license was updated to allow for decommissioning activities.
As part of the license conditions, AIS conducts ongoing environmental monitoring to document radiological concentrations at the site. Sewer water and sediment, air, and groundwater samples within and along the perimeter of the licensed area have been or are being collected.
As part of the license conditions, AIS conducts ongoing perimeter air monitoring to document radiological concentrations at the site. Sewer water, sediment, and groundwater samples within the licensed area have been collected.
AIS worked with IEMA to develop the initial Decommissioning Plan in 2018 for the remediation of the radiological contaminated material. AIS addressed IEMA’s comments in subsequent drafts and IEMA approved the Decommissioning Plan on February 25, 2021. Remediation will consist of removing the radiologically contaminated soil and transporting it to a landfill permitted to accept radiological waste. The excavated area will then be filled with stone and/or soil and remain fenced off until redevelopment occurs. The approved Decommissioning Plan and IEMA correspondence are available below:
AIS prepared construction bid documents based on the approved Decommissioning Plan and has procured a contractor to conduct the remediation.
Updates on the remediation are available here.
Underground Work in the Former Carnotite Reduction Company Area
Based on the EPA and IEMA’s recommendation, the City had implemented radiation monitoring requirements (per Chicago Municipal Code Section 11-4-1100) for intrusive work in the Carnotite Moratorium Area, but on November 7, 2023, the City removed this requirement after all known radioactive material at the former Carnotite Reduction Company area were remediated.
Community Involvement
May and November 2020 - In May 2020, prior to issuing the remediation bid, the City mailed out a fact sheet with notice of a virtual public meeting to residents and businesses near the Carnotite site. This fact sheet was updated in November 2020.
February 2021 - 4th Ward Alderman Sophia King hosted a virtual community meeting on February 25, 2021 to discuss the remediation of the Former Carnotite Reduction Company (Carnotite) site. Questions and comments received from the public were reviewed and are addressed in the FAQs.
June 2021 - The City of Chicago’s Department of Assets, Information & Services (AIS) and 4th Ward Alderman Sophia King held a virtual public meeting on June 1, 2021 to discuss the remediation of the Former Carnotite Reduction Company site located at 434 E. 26th St.
- June 2021 Public Meeting Postcard
- June 2021 Public Meeting Presentation
- Carnotite Virtual Zoom Meeting Recording June 1, 2021
February 2022 – AIS updated the Carnotite website layout to allow easy access to the most current site information. The new website provides a summary of ongoing activities, completed activities as well as upcoming activities at the Site. In addition, the website has a new tab dedicated to remediation. A postcard was mailed out describing the website changes and providing an update on upcoming Spring 2022 site activities.
For more information about the site or the remediation project: