Reporters from Reuters investigating the impact of radioactive waste near West Lake Landfill tracked down dozens of former and current residents of Spanish Village in Bridgeton, finding more than 30 people diagnosed “with types of cancer that have been linked to radiation.”
The finding is part of a larger Aug. 7 investigation into the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, a federal agency founded to protect people from environmental contamination.
In 2015, the agency released a report that concluded the West Lake Landfill posed no health risk to the community and no radioactive gas would leave the site.
“They found that the site could be hazardous to workers … but the ATSDR dismissed community health concerns,” said Michael Pell, one of six Reuters reporters who worked on the investigation. “[ATSDR] did not find that water was a danger. They did not find that any radioactive material coming off the site was a danger. They also didn't address radioactive material found outside the site.”
However, Pell told St. Louis on the Air that the agency’s conclusions were quickly contradicted.
“In the month after the ATSDR released its report, the State of Missouri, working with the [Environmental Protection Agency], found radioactive material outside the site that had come from the landfill and had to be covered up to make sure people weren't exposed to it.”
Problems with the federal agency’s reports are part of a pattern. The Reuters investigation found that “the agency’s frequent declarations of no harm often are rooted in faulty research,” and “at least 38% of the time, agency reports show, its researchers relied on old or flawed data.”
An Environmental Protection Agency analysis of the radioactive hazard posed by the area around the West Lake Landfill is still underway. The investigation was prompted in July by the discovery of radium in nearby groundwater.
To hear the full discussion with Reuters reporter Michael Pell and to learn more how Reuters reporter Michelle Conlin investigated the prevalence of cancer in neighborhoods near West Lake Landfill, listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcast, Spotify or Google Podcast or click the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr. Send questions and comments about this story to talk@stlpr.org.
