Chicago environmental activists took a stand Sunday hoping to delay a law that would allow in construction the use of soil known to be contaminated with benzene, arsenic, and lead, to name a few.   

"For many, many years the city has not taken soil contamination seriously, and it’s our responsibility as communities of color that are severely impacted to call upon them and say it’s too quick to make a decision," -Kim Wasserman of the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization.

Historically dirt removed from Chicago construction sites has been transported to landfills and then replaced with earth taken from nearby farmland.

Under the new proposal on site soil could be reused as long as the contaminate levels fell below city and state thresholds.

Activists say they need more time to examine the proposal.  The city council could vote on this as soon as Wednesday.

Tags: benzene "contaminated soil" arsenic, contaminated soil, Information-News, lead