Home FEATURE STORY Ruben Luna Bruce Brummel Libby Thompson Bill Sinn Dave Erickson Tom Schultz Anna Sutton Anonymous Dana Weese Bill Fleming Update:Nicor denies contamination issue again Denise CrosbyDenise Crosby weighs in. Find out more. The Documents View Gallery Download .pdfs The Culprit? Workers at the Nicor plant in Aurora believe methylene chloride was leaking into drinking water at the plant How can your water go bad ? Without a fairly simple device, it’s easy for polluted water to back up into your shower. Download the page Read More Peril in the pipes Backflow problems have had serious consequences in the United States. Find out more. Additional Links Nicor Co. Information via Google Nicor Corporate Homepage OSHA Homepage Credits Story by:
Matt Hanley Photos by:
Donnell Collins
Tom Schultz, 64 Employee: 1990 - 2006 Tom Schultz has mixed feelings about Nicor. Hates what he believes they did to him, but loved the companywhen he worked there. “I’m dying I know I am,” he said. “They destroyed my life and they don’t care.” In his family, there are legends about Tom Schultz's ability to handle pain.

There was the time he came home from appendix surgery with more than 10 staples in his abdomen. The doctor told him to rest, but he was on a ladder the next day, scraping paint off a picture window.

His wife can't forget the time he hobbled out on crutches to work on his boat, fresh from knee surgery. It was too nice to stay inside, even for stitches, he said. So he built himself a tackle box.

Schultz attributes it to his martial arts training. The former Nicor employee earned a black belt in judo, and during the day, those techniques would help him erase the aches. It was in his sleep he couldn't fight anymore.

"At night your subconscious, you can't stop that," he says. "I could understand why people with low tolerance of pain commit suicide. That's how much I hurt."

Schultz worked at Nicor for more than 40 years, first in the street crew, then as a technician before finally being promoted to a training supervisor. He believes during his time there, he drank water that was contaminated with toxic chemicals from the building's boiler.

"They lied to me so well they had me thinking what a great company it is," he said. "They would preach safety, but they wouldn't practice it."

When he became a Nicor trainer, one of Schultz's students was Bruce Brummel, a workaholic with a real thirst for knowledge. The two became good friends.

"He was probably one of the best students I ever had because he would ask a lot of questions directly related to his job so he could get better at it," he said. "He was better than good — he was a frickin' expert at what he did."

Brummel was the first person to ask Schultz about his health.

Like many Nicor workers, Schultz had kept quiet about the frequent trips to the doctor, the constant dashes to the bathroom. He thought it was only he who couldn't sleep and had acid reflux, severe joint pain and sexual problems. But Brummel had discovered that many workers were suffering from similar ailments.

Schultz and Brummel became crusaders, bringing in outside agencies to get the water inspected and tested.

Now retired, Schultz has tried to sue the company, but found it difficult to find a lawyer willing to take on such a big case. Still, he firmly believes his medical problems are related to the water.

"I'm dying, I know I am," he said. "They destroyed my life and they don't care.

"I don't blame Nicor. Nicor is a company. I blame the people involved in this. They all have to answer to their maker."