Luscious chocolate

Blommer Chocolate Co. is a family owned plant that has been in Chicago for the past 66 years. They make chocolate liquor, cocoa butter and other products for bulk sale.

For decades, mouthwatering smells have radiated from this factory. Commuters, tourists and area workers have enjoyed the chocolate aroma. There was at least one person that did not find the smell and emissions pleasurable. The EPA had a complaint that prompted an inspection and subsequently a citation.

Now, it won’t be long before the chocolate odor will be gone. Officials are hurrying to resolve allegations by installing new filters. The EPA said “that inhaling the plant’s emissions in high concentrations can harm children, the elderly and people with heart and lung disease.”

In a sense, it is a shame. "Chocolate smells put people in a relaxed state," said Hirsch, who likened the effect of chocolate vapors on the brain to an antidepressant. "It's been shown bad odors increase aggression; pleasant ones make people more docile. So you could say the chocolate smell is a real service to Chicago."
Smells are a big deal in this city once closely associated with the stench of slaughtered cows and whose very name etymologists say comes from the American Indian words for skunk or onion.

"It's like crushing an ant when there's a pack of wolves around — then claiming you have saved people from harm," said Brian Urbaszewski, of the American Lung Association's Chicago chapter. Far more pollution is created by power plants, which pump some 15,000 tons of particles into the air annually, he said.
"A lot of people may get a warm fuzzy feeling from this chocolate smell," he said. "Some people may get the same warm fuzzy feeling from smelling tobacco — but that doesn't mean it's good for you."

I think I would rather be harmed by the smell of chocolate than be harmed by the smell of slaughtered cows, car emissions or smoke.