Starting the week of March 30, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the start of a cleanup of
radium-contaminated soil at the former Silbert Watch Co. site at 1409 Dundee
Ave. in Elgin, Illinois. EPA anticipates the cleanup will be completed by early
summer, weather dependent.
The
cleanup includes installing a fence, clearing shrubbery, collecting soil
samples, removing contaminated soil, backfilling with clean soil and monitoring
dust in the air. EPA will remove approximately 10-15 truckloads of
radium-impacted soil and debris to a licensed hazardous material facility.
Final radiation surveys, soil sampling, and analysis will be performed to
verify the work meets federal and state clean up goals. During the cleanup,
residents can expect increased vehicle activity in the area.
The
Illinois Emergency Management Agency referred the site to EPA for assessment
and clean up. EPA and IEMA conducted several investigations at the Silbert Watch site
from 2020 to 2023. These investigations included above-ground radiation surveys
and investigations to identify debris below the surface. Crews drilled into the
ground, inserted radiation detectors, collected and analyzed soil samples, and
estimated the volume of radium-impacted soil and debris.
Radium has been used in numerous applications following its
discovery more than 100 years ago. Once a popular additive in consumer
products, authorities in many countries prohibited the use of radium due to
health effects from long-term exposure. Silbert Watch used radium-based paint
to manufacture luminous watch dials and hands at the site from 1954 to 1971.
After Silbert Watch discontinued operations, the building was used by a
mattress store until a fire destroyed the structure. Based on EPA's historical
imagery reviews, the building was demolished between 1994 and 1999. The
neighboring parcel at 670 Stewart Ave. had a now-demolished single-family
house. EPA’s cleanup will also include this area.
