U.S. lawmakers ask CDC to assess health risks in Illinois city where sewage floods homes

Illinois’ two U.S. senators and a metro-east congresswoman have asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate how decades of flooding and exposure to sewage have affected Cahokia Heights residents’ health.

U.S. Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin and U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski made the request for a public health assessment Monday in a letter to the federal agency in response to BND reporting. Hazardous Homes, a special report the BND published in November, revealed local and state health agencies failed to provide essential health services after residents’ homes repeatedly flooded with sewage.

In Cahokia Heights, sewage backs up in toilets, sinks and bathtubs or spills into homes with floodwater because heavy rain forces sewers to overflow onto the streets and residents’ properties. The infrastructure problems are especially pronounced in the northern area of the former city of Centreville, now part of Cahokia Heights.

To date, the East Side Health District and Illinois Department of Public Health haven’t investigated the possible health effects of chronic exposure to sewage and haven’t fully informed citizens of the risks they face, according to BND reporting.

Duckworth, Durbin and Budzinski said specifically in their letter that they want the CDC to help more fully inform residents about any possible risks to their health. They also urged the agency to have a community forum about the issues and public health effects to “ensure a transparent and robust study.”

Their letter, which they shared with the BND, was addressed to Aaron Bernstein, director of the CDC’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. It’s a federal public health agency that protects communities from harmful health effects related to exposure to natural and man-made hazardous substances, according to its website.

“With ATSDR’s leadership, and in partnership with state and local public health officials, we can reassure families in Cahokia Heights that their government always will prioritize public health,” the Democratic lawmakers wrote.

A CDC spokesperson couldn’t immediately be reached for comment about the letter.

The CDC is an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Health and Human Services started gathering information about Cahokia Heights residents’ health concerns this summer. It also met with environmental officials about how the EPA’s enforcement actions protect public health. The EPA has ordered the city to repair the sewer system and water providers to monitor drinking water.

Residents tired of waiting for a public health response have sought their own answers about how their health has been affected. They’re partnering with Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Colorado to conduct an ongoing health study in Cahokia Heights. The researchers found more than 40% of adults out of an initial sample of 42 last year had the same infection in their stomachs from the bacteria Helicobacter pylori, or H. pylori.

H. pylori can cause ulcers or increase the risk of gastric cancer.

Sewage can also make people sick through parasites, viruses and bioaerosols.

Residents said in BND interviews that stomach, respiratory and heart conditions are common among their neighbors.

Duckworth, Durbin and Budzinski cited common health problems reported by the BND and the study’s preliminary findings as reasons they think the public health assessment is needed.

In addition to calls from Washington for CDC assistance in Cahokia Heights, State Rep. Kevin Schmidt, a Millstadt Republican, has requested the Illinois Department of Public Health investigate the health risks. The federal lawmakers say in their letter to the CDC that they believe the public health threats “require a whole-of-government approach” that would complement any state efforts.

Longtime residents Yvette Lyles and Patricia and Lonnie Greenwood said Monday they’re glad elected officials want to answer their health concerns, but they wonder why it took decades to happen.

Lyles, 64, has been infected with H. pylori twice, and she developed adult-onset asthma. Other members of her family have also had stomach and respiratory issues.

Patricia Greenwood, 73, has a long list of respiratory problems: asthma, sinusitis, and COPD with emphysema and bronchitis.

Lonnie Greenwood, 72, has had three strokes, two heart attacks and a gastric bleed in his small intestine. He said he recently got out of the hospital for another issue that affected his heart.

The Greenwoods’ 18-year-old adopted son Arthur also has trouble breathing.

“Maybe they can finally get down to what we already know: the cause of all this,” Patricia Greenwood said Monday in the family’s living room.

“That’s what we’re hoping for,” her husband Lonnie Greenwood added.

Lawyers Nicole Nelson and Kalila Jackson, who are representing a group of residents in two federal lawsuits over the deteriorating infrastructure, say they have been trying to help residents find experts to determine what the community is being exposed to since getting involved five years ago. The Illinois Department of Public Health was among the agencies where they requested help, according to Nelson.

They filed the lawsuits against local government agencies and officials, calling on them to fix the infrastructure and compensate people for property damage. Jury trials in those civil cases are scheduled to begin next year.

The residents group recently filed a civil rights complaint against St. Clair County with the U.S. Treasury Department, asking it to investigate how the county spent its COVID-related relief funds. The group argues the county discriminated against Black residents in Cahokia Heights by spending nearly all of the money in largely white communities while they faced an ongoing health crisis with sewage flooding their homes.

Over $30 million in local, state and federal money, which Duckworth and Durbin helped secure, has been allocated to Cahokia Heights’ infrastructure issues. Officials have acknowledged more funding is needed and estimated the work will take years to complete.

Beth Murphy, of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, has been given the job of coordinating the response and various funding from all levels of government after Budzinski, a freshman congresswoman, requested it. Budzinski’s congressional district includes Cahokia Heights.

In late October, Murphy started working to understand the current projects and the community’s needs, including residents’ health concerns, and to identify where gaps might exist, according to the EPA.

Federal lawmakers' letter by Lexi Cortes on Scribd