For more than 30 years, Sue Kamuda has called Willowbrook home, and her recent anger stemmed from a company that has been put on the federal government’s radar.
Just days ago, Kamuda and other Willowbrook area residents became aware of a federal report concerning hazardous emissions--called e ethylene oxide--coming from Sterigenics — a 30-plus year old company that provides sterilization for the pharmaceutical, medical and food industries.
“I was really angry when i heard that,” she told NBC 5. “For them to get caught twice makes you wonder what’s been released.”
That report described those emissions as "carcinogenic to humans," and 10 years ago Lamuda beat breast cancer.
“Cancer was not on my radar, I was worried about having a stroke, just wasn’t on my radar at all,” she said.
The report has forced the mayor and other public officials to take action and a hold a public meeting Wednesday night so residents can have answers to their questions.
“Our biggest concern is the health of the residents and getting them some answers," Willowbrook's Mayor Frank Trilla said.
Sterigenics has questioned the data set used by the federal agency that authored the report and that same agency said a in recent statement that “the emissions of ethylene oxide from the Sterigenics are not an immediate threat to public health and are not considered to be an emergency situation.”
But Kamuda sitll has a lots of questions.
"I want to know if they are going to do a study to see if there is a cluster of cancer in our neighborhood," she said. "Also (I would) like to know how they are going to deal with this."
