# B.R. MCKAY & SONS
> **Judicial** · FY1984 · — · Final Order With Specified Cost Recovery
## Case
- **Activity ID:** `25294`
- **Case Number:** 05-1984-0052
- **Type:** Judicial
- **Lead:** EPA
- **Outcome:** Final Order With Specified Cost Recovery
- **Penalty assessed:** $0
- **Cost recovery:** $265K
- **Compliance action $:** —
- **Multimedia (multi-env):** N
## Defendants
- B.R. MCKAY AND SONS, INC. (complaint) (settlement)
- MICHAEL MCKAY (complaint) (settlement)
- STEVEN O' NEIL (complaint) (settlement)
## Summary

BACKGROUND                                                      OVER THE TWO AND A HALF YEARS SPANNING LATE 1979 TO     MARCH 1983, FILM RECOVERY SYSTEMS, INC. AND THE OTHER GENER- ATOR DEFENDANTS NAMED IN THE ENCLOSED COMPLAINT, WERE AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER OPERATORS OF A SILVER RECOVERY BUSINESS AT   1855 GREENLEAF AVENUE, ELK GROVE VILLAGE, ILLINOIS.  THEY    USED INORGANIC CYANIDE SOLUTIONS TO STRIP SILVER COMPOUNDS   FROM X-RAY AND OTHER FILM STOCKS THAT WERE SHREDDED INTO     SMALL PIECES, BY PLACING THEM INTO 1000 GALLON TANKS FOR     SEVERAL DAYS AT A TIME.  THE RESULTING LIQUOR WAS DECANTED   INTO ELECTROPLATING TANKS AND PLATED ONTO STAINLESS STEEL    ELECTRODES FOR RECOVERY.  THE SILVER IN THE SLUDGES GENERAT- ED WAS FURTHER RECOVERED BY SMELTING.  ABOUT 65,000 POUNDS   OF WASTE CHIPS WERE GENERATED EACH DAY DURING PEAK OPERA-    TIONS.                                                            THE WASTE CHIPS WERE SUPPOSED TO BE TREATED WITH SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE PRIOR TO DISPOSAL, TO REDUCE THE CYANIDE PRE-   SENT ON THEM TO NONREACTIVE LEVELS.  AS THE BUSINESS PRO-    GRESSED, A CONSCIOUS DECISION WAS APPARENTLY MADE TO REDUCE  COSTS BY REDUCING THE LEVEL OF TREATMENT OF THE WASTE.  AS A RESULT, THE 16 MILLION POUNDS OF CHIPS, COATED WITH UP TO    400 PPM OF CYANIDE AND 10 PPM OF SILVER, WERE ILLEGALLY      GENERATED AND STORED, IN TRAILERS AND WAREHOUSES LEASED BY   THE DEFENDANTS, IN COOK AND LEE COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.  THE     WASTES ARE CLEARLY REACTIVE UNDER 40 C

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*Source: [EPA ECHO](https://echo.epa.gov/) · AI Analytics · CC0 1.0*