Rare Earths Facility, Chemical processing facility in West Chicago, Illinois, US
The facility in West Chicago was an industrial complex with specialized equipment designed to extract and process rare earth elements, thorium, uranium, and radium from mineral ores. The site contained multiple buildings and infrastructure that operated over several decades to handle these mineral processing operations.
The Lindsay Light and Chemical Company established this manufacturing site in 1931, initially producing gaslight mantles and hydrofluoric acid with expanded output during World War II. Operations continued under different ownership until production ceased in 1973 when Kerr-McGee took control.
This facility shaped how the local community developed around it, with residents incorporating materials from the site into their gardens and public spaces. The plant became woven into the daily landscape people moved through.
The site is no longer active and not freely accessible to the public due to environmental assessments and cleanup efforts that have been undertaken. Visitors should be aware that the property remains under regulatory oversight and restricted access.
The facility's activities contaminated nearby waterways and a recreational park, leading to health investigations that did not occur until 1991. This discovery revealed how industrial processing had affected the water and soil long after operations ended.
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