Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Hunterbrook Media @truth.bsky.social · 1d

Read the full Hunterbrook investigation:

hntrbrk.com/danville/

Poisoned USA: How The Sausage Is Made — Literally

As sickness spreads and names of former employees fill obituary pages, residents near Viscofan's factory are asking: Why is this plant still here?

Hntrbrk.com

5

Hunterbrook Media @truth.bsky.social · 1d

Today, oversight is limited.

Despite some EPA and OSHA notices, the plant keeps running. The smell lingers. And workers are still sick.

1 3

Hunterbrook Media @truth.bsky.social · 1d

Viscofan declined to comment on any of the specific allegations — including disconnected scrubbers, hazardous waste totes, health impacts, and worker retaliation.

Instead, it insisted it met “strict local and international standards.”

1

Hunterbrook Media @truth.bsky.social · 1d

Hunterbrook Media’s investment affiliate, Hunterbrook Capital, does not have any positions related to this article at the time of publication.

Positions may change at any time.

1

Hunterbrook Media @truth.bsky.social · 1d

In May, Viscofan withdrew recognition of its union — the same one that had long raised safety concerns.

Without it, locals say workers have lost a critical line of protection.

“They’ll be retaliated against,” one said.

And last month, members of Congress took aim at the move

1

Hunterbrook Media @truth.bsky.social · 1d

Gas monitors inside the facility showed hydrogen sulfide levels hitting 40 parts per million, according to a picture Hunterbrook obtained.

OSHA’s ceiling is 20 ppm.

1

Hunterbrook Media @truth.bsky.social · 1d

Inside the plant, workers described broken safety systems and retaliation.

One said she was trained to only “write down good numbers” when gas levels spiked — and not to tell supervisors.

When she reported the real readings to her supervisors, she was told there was “nothing they could do.”

1

Hunterbrook Media @truth.bsky.social · 1d

Other workers Hunterbrook spoke with said evacuations were routine.

One recalled a man being sprayed with sulfuric acid — and being told to take a taxi to the hospital instead of an ambulance.

Respirators were shared, safety gear was rationed, and complaints went nowhere.

1

Hunterbrook Media @truth.bsky.social · 1d

Alan Johnson is one of them.

He spent 43 years in the plant. Now 73, he lives with Parkinson’s, heart disease, and dementia.

“You can hardly get a breath in there,” he said. “Even if you take a shower, you still got it.”

1

Hunterbrook Media @truth.bsky.social · 1d

More than 20 former workers told Hunterbrook they’ve been diagnosed with cancer, Parkinson’s, or other serious illnesses.

“I know more people with cancer than without,” one resident said.

1

Hunterbrook Media @truth.bsky.social · 1d

Many in town believe the factory has contributed to the poor health of the community.

Cancer rates in Danville are about 25% higher than the Illinois average.

1

Hunterbrook Media @truth.bsky.social · 1d

And the air wasn’t the only problem.

In 2023, Illinois EPA inspectors found more than 1,300 hazardous waste totes scattered across the site.

Some were leaking. Some were years old.

And in June, the agency sent a sharply worded letter to Viscofan and warned of legal action.

1 1

Hunterbrook Media @truth.bsky.social · 1d

“It felt like something was inside there, clogging it up,” one worker said.

Others compared it to “cat pee” and “rotten eggs.” One even called Danville the “cess pool of the country.”

1 1

Hunterbrook Media @truth.bsky.social · 1d

But conditions seem to have changed little — and the fallout isn’t hard to sense.

Residents say you can smell the plant before you see it.

1 1

Hunterbrook Media @truth.bsky.social · 1d

This wasn’t new.

Drone imagery from 2023 we obtained showed the same problem.

Viscofan was found in violation of the Clean Air Act in 2015 and again in 2021 for poor scrubber control.

Both times, it quietly settled and pledged to do better.

1 1

Hunterbrook Media @truth.bsky.social · 1d

Those fumes are supposed to be captured by the plant’s air scrubbers.

But when Hunterbrook flew a drone overhead, we saw stack fans venting directly into the air.

The elbows connecting them to the scrubbers were missing.

1 1

Hunterbrook Media @truth.bsky.social · 1d

In 2023 alone, it emitted 2.4 million pounds of carbon disulfide — more than any other casing facility in the U.S.

1 1

Hunterbrook Media @truth.bsky.social · 1d

Viscofan is the world’s largest producer of artificial meat casings.

Its Danville plant runs 24/7 using carbon disulfide, hydrogen sulfide, and ammonia — all linked to cardiovascular, neurological, and respiratory harm.

1 1

Hunterbrook Media @truth.bsky.social · 1d

And we obtained more than 80 photos and videos from inside and around the plant where phones are banned.

The picture is clear: a toxic facility in the middle of a vulnerable town.

1 1

Hunterbrook Media @truth.bsky.social · 1d

Hunterbrook spoke with more than 40 workers and residents.

We reviewed EPA filings, inspection records, drone footage, and property data.

1 1

Hunterbrook Media @truth.bsky.social · 1d

NEW INVESTIGATION: The smell that haunts Danville — and the company behind it.

For years, Viscofan’s Illinois plant has flooded a struggling town with toxic emissions.

Families say they’re paying with their health — and their lives.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqSC...

How The Sausage Is Made — Literally

YouTube video by Hunterbrook

www.youtube.com

1 1 6

Hunterbrook Media @truth.bsky.social · 11d

Hunterbrook Media’s investment affiliate, Hunterbrook Capital, does not have any positions related to this article at the time of publication.

3

Hunterbrook Media @truth.bsky.social · 11d

Based on aerial imagery, last night’s fire burned only about 1,500 feet away from the closest homes in nearby Manhattan Beach.

Aerial image of the fire at Chevron’s El Segundo Refinery, taken by ABC7 helicopter reporter Chris Cristi https://x.com/abc7chriscristi/status/1973973321260937503

1 4

Hunterbrook Media @truth.bsky.social · 11d

A study by the Environmental Integrity Project found that Chevron’s facility was also by far the largest discharger of selenium and nitrogen into water among all U.S. refineries in 2021.

environmentalintegrity.org/wp-content/u...

1 1 1

Hunterbrook Media @truth.bsky.social · 11d

And there’s not just a pattern of air pollution at the El Segundo refinery.

environmentalintegrity.org

1 2