Abestos at state beaches

An area encompassing the far north section of the Illinois Beach State Park and the southern part of North Point Marina were closed off earlier this month because the state found friable asbestos containing material on the beaches along Lake Michigan.

This is the first time the state has said it has found friable asbestos material on the beach. Friable means the material is easily broken apart, allowing the asbestos to become airborne. The Centers for Disease Control warns that airborne asbestos is dangerous because one fiber in the lungs can lead to potentially deadly cancerous growth.

There are still "No Trespassing" signs in the area that originally had been taped off, but a spokesman for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources said the state was trying to figure out what signs were in the area and what they said. The signs can be seen from the south parking lot of the marina. The state claims this area is now open, despite the signs in the area warning against trespassing.

The asbestos was found in the North Unit of the state's most visited park next to the marina's southern parking lots. Illinois Department of Natural Resources spokesman Joe Bauer said the area was marked off with asbestos marking tape and residents and visitors were asked to avoid that area until it was re-opened Aug. 7 after being closed Aug. 4.

The area cordoned off is about a quarter-acre in size and includes part of the beach and some trails leading to the beach. The area is normally used by the IDNR to store sand that has been dredged from the inlet of the power plant adjacent to the Waukegan fishing pier for beach nourishment. The IDNR said it is rarely used by the public. The park has six miles of beaches, campgrounds and a hotel/conference facility.

"It's very satisfying, and extraordinarily important, to have state officials finally admit, after years of denial, that dangerous friable asbestos can be found on the park's beaches, and that potentially-deadly microscopic asbestos is in the air there," said Paul Kakuris, president of the Dunesland group.

Kakuris said that now more than ever the state needs to conduct tests for asbestos and other chemicals that may have leaked into the park's nature preserve on the south side of the park.

He said they first learned of the friable asbestos from minutes they obtained from the state's Task Force meeting on Aug. 2. The task force was put together by Attorney General Lisa Madigan because of safety concerns, but her office has never conducted a study or made public any reports concerning the safety of the six miles of beaches available to the press or public.