McCullom Lake, Illinois

Coordinates: 42°22′10″N 88°17′38″W / 42.36944°N 88.29389°W / 42.36944; -88.29389

McCullom Lake
Village
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	McHenry
Coordinates	42°22′10″N 88°17′38″W / 42.36944°N 88.29389°W / 42.36944; -88.29389
Area	0.3 sq mi (1 km2)
- land	0.3 sq mi (1 km2)
Population	1,038 (2000)
Density	3,708.2 / sq mi (1,432 / km2)
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code	60050
Area code	815
Location of McCullom Lake within Illinois
Wikimedia Commons: McCullom Lake, Illinois

McCullom Lake is a village in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,038 at the 2000 census.

Geography

McCullom Lake is located at 42°22′10″N 88°17′38″W / 42.36944°N 88.29389°W / 42.36944; -88.29389 (42.369561, -88.293941)^[1].

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.

Major streets

• McCullom Lake Road

Demographics

As of the census^[2] 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.

Class Action Lawsuit

On April 25, 2006, three former next-door neighbors who contracted brain 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.^[3]

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.

References

1. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
2. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ http://m.nwherald.com/nwh/db_38338/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=eyE69n8b&src=cat&full=true

External links

• [1], a six-part investigative series by the Northwest Herald into the alleged brain cancer cluster.
• [2], The official website of the Village of McCullom Lake, Illinois. Operated by the local government.