The city of Sterling, Illinois has been awarded a $1 million Brownfield loan to help clean up and remove asbestos from the former Northwestern Steel and Wire Plant. The clean up process will prep the plant for future redevelopment, reports the Quad-City Business Journal.
The abandoned 21-acre plant, located at 121 W. Wallace Street, is situated on riverfront property. “This riverfront property was the lifeblood for Sterling for many, many years. It employed thousands of people…It’s real important to allow the community to reclaim it and to see what they want there,” said Sterling Mayor Amy Viering.
The loan will be used to mitigate asbestos contamination at the Plant 1 site. Once the asbestos is removed, the former steel mill will be prepped for redevelopment.
Asbestos is a highly hazardous material, found in many older homes and buildings. When disturbed, the toxic particles become airborne, and may pose a serious health risk to those exposed. Extended exposure to the material has been known to cause several diseases, including malignant mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is the most aggressive asbestos-related disease, known to affect 3,000 Americans each year.
Due to a latency period of 10 to 50 years, doctors struggle to diagnose patients in the early stages of their disease. Because of this, mesothelioma treatment tends to arrive late. Unfortunately, there is currently no cure for asbestos cancer.
The loan to clean up the site comes from the Illinois Brownfields Revolving Loan.