McCullom Lake, Illinois
Encyclopedia
McCullom Lake is a village in McHenry County
, Illinois
, United States
. The population was 1,038 at the 2000 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 0.3 square miles (0.7 km²), all of it land. McHenry
occupies the southeast shore. The Lake is well known locally for excellent ice fishing. Shallow weeds in the late summer time at the Mccullom lake beach, (not Mchenry's beach) make its beach dangerous (drownings have occurred) and have limited game fishing. There is good fishing at the Mchenry beach year round.
of 2000, there were 1,038 people, 382 households, and 273 families residing in the village. The population density
was 3,708.2 people per square mile (1,431.3/km²). There were 418 housing units at an average density of 1,493.3 per square mile (576.4/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.44% White, 0.87% African American, 0.48% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 1.25% from other races
, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.24% of the population.
There were 382 households out of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were married couples
living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.22.
In the village the population was spread out with 28.0% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 35.9% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.1 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $54,500, and the median income for a family was $59,423. Males had a median income of $40,238 versus $26,100 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $20,350. About 5.2% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.1% of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over.
cancer
filed suit against several manufacturers in the neighboring town of Ringwood, Illinois
, claiming that groundwater
and air contamination caused their illnesses.
The lawsuits were filed by a Philadelphia
attorney, Aaron J. Freiwald, who also filed a class-action lawsuit to set up medical monitoring for current and former McCullom Lake residents.
The defendants, Rohm and Haas
, its subsidiary Morton International, and Modine Manufacturing, deny any connection between contamination and the illnesses.
As of September 2010, there are 32 plaintiffs. A 33rd potential plaintiff (deceased) is pending.
Older statistics taken from the first 23 plaintiffs indicated that nineteen had or have brain or nerve
cancer, nine had or have glioblastoma multiforme
, five had or have oligodendroglioma
, two had or have meningioma
, and one each had or has schwannoma
and hemangioblastoma
. Additionally, three had or have pituitary gland
tumors, and one had or has cryptogenic
cirrhosis
.
At least seven of the plaintiffs have died, six from glioblastoma multiforme.
The story has been covered in depth by the local newspaper
, the Northwest Herald
, published in nearby Crystal Lake, Illinois
. The newspaper published a six-part investigative series in December 2007.
McHenry County, Illinois
McHenry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 308,760, which is an increase of 18.7% from 260,077 in 2000. Its county seat is Woodstock. This county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. It is the sixth largest county, in...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 1,038 at the 2000 census.
Geography
McCullom Lake is located at 42°22′10"N 88°17′38"W (42.369561, -88.293941).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 0.3 square miles (0.7 km²), all of it land. McHenry
McHenry, Illinois
McHenry is a city in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. In 2005, its population was estimated to be 24,631. McHenry was at one time the county seat of McHenry County...
occupies the southeast shore. The Lake is well known locally for excellent ice fishing. Shallow weeds in the late summer time at the Mccullom lake beach, (not Mchenry's beach) make its beach dangerous (drownings have occurred) and have limited game fishing. There is good fishing at the Mchenry beach year round.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,038 people, 382 households, and 273 families residing in the village. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 3,708.2 people per square mile (1,431.3/km²). There were 418 housing units at an average density of 1,493.3 per square mile (576.4/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.44% White, 0.87% African American, 0.48% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 1.25% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.24% of the population.
There were 382 households out of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.22.
In the village the population was spread out with 28.0% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 35.9% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.1 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $54,500, and the median income for a family was $59,423. Males had a median income of $40,238 versus $26,100 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the village was $20,350. About 5.2% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.1% of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over.
Class Action Lawsuit
On April 25, 2006, three former next-door neighbors who contracted brainBrain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
filed suit against several manufacturers in the neighboring town of Ringwood, Illinois
Ringwood, Illinois
Ringwood is a village in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. The Ringwood post office was established in the early 1900s to provide post office boxes for local industrial firms and residents located on the far northern edge of McHenry. Ringwood was incorporated as a village on 15 November...
, claiming that groundwater
Groundwater
Groundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water. The depth at which soil pore spaces or fractures and voids in rock...
and air contamination caused their illnesses.
The lawsuits were filed by a Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
attorney, Aaron J. Freiwald, who also filed a class-action lawsuit to set up medical monitoring for current and former McCullom Lake residents.
The defendants, Rohm and Haas
Rohm and Haas
Rohm and Haas Company, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania based company, manufactures miscellaneous materials. Formerly a Fortune 500 Company, Rohm and Haas employs more than 17,000 people in 27 countries, with its last sales revenue reported as an independent company at USD 8.9 billion. On July 10,...
, its subsidiary Morton International, and Modine Manufacturing, deny any connection between contamination and the illnesses.
As of September 2010, there are 32 plaintiffs. A 33rd potential plaintiff (deceased) is pending.
Older statistics taken from the first 23 plaintiffs indicated that nineteen had or have brain or nerve
Nerve
A peripheral nerve, or simply nerve, is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of peripheral axons . A nerve provides a common pathway for the electrochemical nerve impulses that are transmitted along each of the axons. Nerves are found only in the peripheral nervous system...
cancer, nine had or have glioblastoma multiforme
Glioblastoma multiforme
Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common and most aggressive malignant primary brain tumor in humans, involving glial cells and accounting for 52% of all functional tissue brain tumor cases and 20% of all intracranial tumors. Despite being the most prevalent form of primary brain tumor, GBMs...
, five had or have oligodendroglioma
Oligodendroglioma
Oligodendrogliomas are a type of glioma that are believed to originate from the oligodendrocytes of the brain or from a glial precursor cell. They occur primarily in adults but are also found in children...
, two had or have meningioma
Meningioma
The word meningioma was first used by Harvey Cushing in 1922 to describe a tumor originating from the meninges, the membranous layers surrounding the CNS ....
, and one each had or has schwannoma
Schwannoma
A schwannoma is a benign nerve sheath tumor composed of Schwann cells, which normally produce the insulating myelin sheath covering peripheral nerves....
and hemangioblastoma
Hemangioblastoma
Hemangioblastomas are tumors of the central nervous system that originate from the vascular system usually during middle-age. Sometimes these tumors occur in other sites such as the spinal cord and retina...
. Additionally, three had or have pituitary gland
Pituitary gland
In vertebrate anatomy the pituitary gland, or hypophysis, is an endocrine gland about the size of a pea and weighing 0.5 g , in humans. It is a protrusion off the bottom of the hypothalamus at the base of the brain, and rests in a small, bony cavity covered by a dural fold...
tumors, and one had or has cryptogenic
Cryptogenic disease
A cryptogenic disease is a disease of which the cause is unknown. It may be used in a particular case, when the nature of the patient's condition is known but the cause has not been found . The word cryptogenic also appears in the names of some disease entities, when the situation is sufficiently...
cirrhosis
Cirrhosis
Cirrhosis is a consequence of chronic liver disease characterized by replacement of liver tissue by fibrosis, scar tissue and regenerative nodules , leading to loss of liver function...
.
At least seven of the plaintiffs have died, six from glioblastoma multiforme.
The story has been covered in depth by the local newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, the Northwest Herald
Northwest Herald
The Northwest Herald is a daily newspaper published in Crystal Lake, Illinois. The paper has a circulation of nearly 33,000 with a coverage area of McHenry County and northern Kane County in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago....
, published in nearby Crystal Lake, Illinois
Crystal Lake, Illinois
Crystal Lake is a city located in southeastern McHenry County in northeastern Illinois, in the Chicago suburbs. It is named after Crystal Lake, a lake located west-southwest of downtown. Crystal Lake is also a suburb of the city of Chicago. The population was 38,000 at the 2000 census, but as of...
. The newspaper published a six-part investigative series in December 2007.
External links
- http://www.nwherald.com/mccullomlake, a six-part investigative series by the Northwest HeraldNorthwest HeraldThe Northwest Herald is a daily newspaper published in Crystal Lake, Illinois. The paper has a circulation of nearly 33,000 with a coverage area of McHenry County and northern Kane County in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago....
into the alleged brain cancer cluster. - http://www.VillageOfMcCullomLake.org, The official website of the Village of McCullom Lake, Illinois. Operated by the local government.