- LOUIS (AP) — Documents examined by The Associated Press reveal that during the mid-20th century, the federal government and companies responsible for nuclear bomb production and atomic waste storage sites in the St. Louis area were aware of various health risks, spills, improper storage of contaminants, and other issues. However, they often chose to overlook these problems.
Even though much of the cleanup has been carried out in recent decades, the consequences continue to haunt the region. Federal health investigators have discovered an elevated risk of cancer for individuals who, as children, played in a creek contaminated with uranium waste. Last year, a grade school closed down due to concerns about radiation. Additionally, a landfill operator is investing millions of dollars to prevent underground smoldering from reaching nuclear waste that was illegally dumped in the 1970s.
In a comprehensive investigation, The Associated Press reviewed hundreds of pages of internal memos, inspection reports, and other documents dating back to the early 1950s. These records shed light on a disturbing pattern of nonchalance and indifference towards the risks associated with the materials used in the development of nuclear weapons during and after World War II.
This investigation is part of an ongoing collaborative effort between The Missouri Independent, the nonprofit newsroom MuckRock, and The Associated Press. The government documents under review were obtained by external researchers through the Freedom of Information Act and subsequently shared with these news organizations.
Let’s reimagine the paragraph:
An inspection report from 1966, conducted by the government on a site in St. Louis County, highlighted a concerning observation. The report noted that “in several locations along the roadway,” material that was later determined to be radioactive had seemingly fallen from vehicles.
Three months later, a follow-up inspection revealed that the radioactive material was still present on the road. The company responsible for the site, Continental Mining and Milling Co., claimed difficulties with their contracted worker—a lone individual who used a shovel and broom to collect the atomic waste and load it onto a pickup truck.
Surprisingly, despite this negligence, no penalties or sanctions were imposed on the company.
St. Louis played a significant role in the widespread national endeavor to construct a nuclear bomb, which was ultimately tested in New Mexico. The activities in the St. Louis area primarily focused on uranium, with Mallinckrodt Chemical Co. emerging as a prominent processor of this element. Mallinckrodt processed uranium into a concentrated form, which was then transported to other locations for further refinement into the material utilized in the production of weapons.
According to Gwendolyn Verhoff, a historian at St. Louis Community College, the nuclear endeavors in St. Louis were deeply entrenched in heavy industry. Soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Mallinckrodt initiated the processing of uranium in close proximity to downtown. In 1946, the government acquired land near the airport and commenced the transportation of nuclear waste from the Mallinckrodt facility.
Simultaneously, in 1941, the government established a new plant in Weldon Spring for the production of explosives. Although production ceased in 1945, the soil, sediments, and certain springs in the area had already been contaminated.
In 1957, the Atomic Energy Commission launched a plant in Weldon Spring, where Mallinckrodt subsequently relocated its uranium processing operations. As a consequence, the area became contaminated with radioactive waste, including a large quarry that was designated as a Superfund cleanup site in 1987. Two years later, the remaining portions of the Weldon Spring site were also added to the Superfund list.
Alison Carrick, co-director of the documentary “The First Secret City,” which explores the region’s nuclear history, mentioned that after the war, some companies attempted to find commercial value in the byproducts of radioactive materials. However, these endeavors proved unsuccessful, leading to the relocation of the waste to new sites and further contamination of land in close proximity to populated areas.
In 1966, the Atomic Energy Commission made the decision to demolish and bury buildings at the airport site. The responsibility for handling the nuclear waste was entrusted to Continental Mining and Milling Co., which subsequently relocated the waste to a site located at 9200 Latty Ave. in Bridgeton, a nearby area. The waste was piled in a heap, and according to the commission’s report at the time, there were radioactive barrels present outside the fence.
The storage of the radioactive materials at the Bridgeton site was characterized by haphazard practices. In fact, the commission noted that even the path leading to the site had become contaminated due to trucks transporting the waste between 1966 and 1969. These trucks inadvertently spread waste during their hauls, further exacerbating the contamination in the surrounding area.
According to investigations conducted by state and federal authorities, a substantial amount of nuclear waste made its way into Coldwater Creek, leading to contamination along the waterway and neighboring yards for a stretch of 14 miles. The contamination was a result of the often-flooding nature of the creek.
In 1973, Cotter Corp., a uranium processor, transported hazardous leached barium sulfate, which contained uranium residue, from the Latty Avenue site to the nearby West Lake Landfill in Bridgeton.
While the government has completed the cleanup of the Weldon Spring site, it is considered permanently damaged and will require ongoing oversight. Instead of removing the waste, the government opted to construct a 75-foot-tall mound covered in rock, serving as a permanent disposal cell for a significant portion of the waste. The government asserts that the site is safe, but concerns still persist among some local residents. Weldon Spring is home to approximately 5,300 people, while tens of thousands more reside within a few miles in neighboring O’Fallon.
Federal officials have planned to remove some of the waste at the West Lake Landfill and cap the remainder. The cleanup efforts for Coldwater Creek have made significant progress but are not expected to conclude until 2038. The cost of the cleanup efforts has already surpassed $1 billion, and additional millions will be required to complete the task, placing a burden on taxpayers.
The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), which held historical responsibility for the nation’s nuclear weapons program, was disbanded in the 1970s due in large part to public criticism of its handling of nuclear safety. The Department of Energy (DOE) now assumes the role of overseeing the country’s nuclear weapons and waste. The DOE has publicly acknowledged the environmental damage caused by previous mismanagement of waste and its detrimental effects on both people and the environment. Currently, the Army Corps of Engineers is tasked with the cleanup efforts at several former nuclear program sites, including those in St. Louis.
George Stringham, a spokesperson for the Army Corps of Engineers, emphasized that cleanup is their primary focus. He noted that the challenges faced today are a result of the historical storing, hauling, and transportation methods employed in the past.
Attempts to obtain comments from Mallinckrodt and General Atomics, the company that acquired Cotter Corp. in 2000, were unsuccessful as phone calls and emails were not returned. It should be noted that Continental Mining and Milling Co. no longer exists.
During the post-World War II era, as the United States vied for nuclear dominance and grappled with the Soviet Union in a dangerous standoff, the focus on speed and secrecy took precedence over environmental concerns across the St. Louis region. Officials showed indifference towards the hazards posed by the disposal of harmful waste, despite its vital role in the nuclear program.
In a memo dated March 17, 1953, Merril Eisenbud, the health and safety division director for the Atomic Energy Commission, downplayed the significance of a barium cake spill that resulted in nuclear contamination across a half-mile stretch of road, its shoulder, and part of a cornfield. Eisenbud stated that, in his opinion, there was no emergency and decisions regarding action should consider costs, potential risks, and public relations aspects.
A memo from May 27, 1966, written by a senior radiation specialist for the Atomic Energy Commission, highlighted violations at the Continental facility. It described a large pile of uranium material and barrels of “miscellaneous residues” that were not secured within the required fenced area. The on-site manager claimed to be unaware of the storage requirements, and when the inspector contacted the company’s vice president in Chicago, no satisfactory response was provided. However, Continental faced no penalties for these violations.
These issues were not limited to St. Louis alone. At sites like Los Alamos in New Mexico, waste from weapons development was haphazardly disposed of in nearby canyons. The program’s secrecy and looser environmental standards allowed such practices to persist without sufficient public oversight or attention, according to Edwin Lyman, the director of nuclear power safety with the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Although some protective measures were taken for workers, health risks were often ignored or dismissed. A 1966 report revealed that Continental utilized a radiation exposure tracking service provided by Nuclear Consultant Corp. Some workers were found to have exceptionally high radiation levels, leading to doubts and skepticism among company personnel. However, the memo did not indicate any consequential action being taken.
These instances underscore the disregard for environmental and health concerns during that era, as the pursuit of nuclear advancements took precedence over responsible waste management and protection of workers.
The tireless efforts to advocate for cleanup and justice have been spearheaded primarily by determined women who refused to accept “no” as an answer.
Denise Brock, whose father was employed at Mallinckrodt for many years, witnessed her father battle cancer during her youth. Sometimes, she would stay home from school to assist in his care. Her father eventually passed away in 1978.
In 2001, when Brock discovered that former Mallinckrodt workers with specific types of cancer were eligible for federal compensation, her initial efforts to help her mother obtain payment grew into an active role as an advocate. In 2003, she established the United Nuclear Weapons Workers organization in her own home. Together with fellow activists, she worked tirelessly to persuade federal lawmakers to simplify the process for thousands of former workers to receive compensation for their illnesses.
Brock’s persistent advocacy prompted the government to introduce compensation of up to $400,000 for individuals who had worked at nuclear facilities nationwide and developed certain types of cancers, or for their surviving family members. Over the past two decades, the government has disbursed $23 billion in compensation to those affected.
The concerns surrounding nuclear contamination extend beyond direct exposure experienced by nuclear workers. Individuals residing near contamination sites live with a lingering sense of uncertainty. Many who grew up in these areas were unaware of the risks for decades, as information about the contamination was not disclosed to them.
In 2007, Chapman and Karen Nickel founded Just Moms STL due to their deep concerns about cancer and other uncommon illnesses prevalent in their neighborhoods in St. Louis County.
In 2019, the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry released a report indicating that individuals who regularly played in Coldwater Creek as children between the 1960s and 1990s may have a slightly increased risk of bone cancer, lung cancer, and leukemia. The agency also determined that those who were exposed to the creek on a daily basis from the 2000s onwards, when cleanup efforts commenced, may have a small elevated risk of lung cancer.
However, there are experts who express skepticism regarding these findings. Tim Jorgensen, a professor of radiation medicine at Georgetown University, states that the primary risk factor for cancer is age, and the contribution of local radiation exposure would be so minimal that it would be difficult to detect.
The government’s history of negligent handling of nuclear contamination over the years has understandably eroded public trust in official assurances of safety. Arjun Makhijani, a nuclear expert and president of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, asserts that there is a complete lack of trust among the people in the St. Louis area.
As a result, there is growing concern among the St. Louis community that the contamination has caused additional illnesses, leading some to advocate for legislation to compensate those who are suffering from illness. Others have taken legal action against those responsible for the waste.
Recently, individuals with serious illnesses or their family members gathered at the home of Karen Nickel to discuss their experiences. Jim Gaffney, who spent his childhood playing in Coldwater Creek during the 1960s, expressed his concern about potential exposure. Despite being advised against it, he and his siblings enjoyed their time in the creek, unaware of the risks involved. Jim and his wife, Susie, loved the neighborhood so much that they eventually moved into a home there. Their children also grew up playing in a park adjacent to Coldwater Creek. They had no prior warnings or fears regarding the contamination during that time.
Jim Gaffney has experienced the devastating impact of exposure to nuclear contamination. Diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma in 1981, his chances of survival were slim. However, a bone-marrow transplant saved his life. Yet, the extensive radiation, chemotherapy, and the disease itself have taken a significant toll on his health. Jim now deals with hypertension, heart failure, and has undergone multiple surgeries to remove bladder tumors since 1995. While he has persevered, his journey has been far from easy.
Tragically, Jim and Susie Gaffney’s son, Joe, has also faced his battle with thyroid cancer since 1998, when he was just 18 years old.
Tricia Byrnes, who swam in the Weldon Spring quarries as a teenager, has a similar story. Her son was diagnosed with a rare cancer of the thymus, a small organ near the heart, eight years ago. She questions whether there is a connection between his illness and the contamination.
Driven by frustration over the lack of acknowledgment regarding the health risks posed by the contamination at Weldon Spring, Tricia successfully ran as a Republican for the Missouri House. In her new role, she advocates for federal compensation for individuals who believe their illnesses are linked to the contamination. Tricia finds it infuriating that not only did the federal government permit the contamination that harmed people, but they also failed to take sufficient measures to contain it.
Even when the government assures safety, concerns continue to arise. In October of the previous year, a private scientist hired by lawyers involved in lawsuits related to Coldwater Creek contamination conducted a study that suggested the presence of radioactive contamination at Jana Elementary School in Florissant, Missouri, which is located along the creek. This discovery further fuels worries and raises questions about the extent of the contamination and its potential impact on the community.
The Army Corps of Engineers conducted their own investigation, affirming the safety of the school and playground. However, in March, the school board made the decision to close the school due to pressure from politicians on both sides of the political spectrum.
This incident highlights the ongoing struggle of the region to come to terms with its nuclear history.
Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, mentioned the media’s coverage of the documents during his Senate speech. He pledged to introduce a bill that would cover medical expenses for individuals suffering from cancer, autoimmune diseases, or genetic disorders associated with the contamination. Nevertheless, the 2019 federal report on Coldwater Creek stated that it is currently impossible to definitively link a specific type of cancer to local radiation exposure.
Hawley asserted, “It is evident today that additional measures are necessary because the federal government is responsible for this harm.”
According to historian Verhoff, the production of nuclear weapons required a coordinated national effort. Similarly, the cleanup of nuclear waste demands a comparable level of organization and urgency.
Correction: The reference to nuclear weapons being tested at Los Alamos has been removed from the story. While they were developed there, the testing took place elsewhere in New Mexico.