Radioactive Missouri Site Polluted With Manhattan Project Waste May Finally Be Cleaned Up

ST. LOUIS, COUNTY, Mo. — A radioactive site in Missouri polluted with nuclear waste from the Manhattan Project may finally be cleaned up.

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) says he has secured a commitment from the newly confirmed administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to address the site.

On Wednesday, Jan. 29, the U.S. Senate confirmed former Rep. Lee Zeldin to lead the EPA under President Donald Trump. According to Hawley, Zeldin will visit and make sure the organization cleans up the West Lake Landfill Superfund site in Bridgeton, Mo.

West Lake Landfill Superfund site.png — Map view of the West Lake Landfill from the Environmental Protection Agency.

There are thousands of Superfund sites across the nation from hazardous waste being dumped, left in the open, or improperly managed, according to the EPA.

In fact, The Missouri Independent reported that the state's Department of Natural Resources recently asked the EPA to take over the adjacent Bridgeton Landfill, citing concerns that it may contain nuclear waste like West Lake.

In the 1960s, the federal government hired a company to dispose of radioactive material originating from a St. Louis factory, which had dumped tons of waste for decades, contaminating the soil and Coldwater Creek.

Scientist In Protective Suite Tests Polluted River — Labunskiy Konstantin

But the company didn't make it better. Instead, they placed it in the 200+ acre landfill in 1973 without proper remediation.

Deep-dive articles about radioactive waste and its affect on St. Louis communities:

"Records reveal 75 years of government downplaying, ignoring risks of St. Louis radioactive waste" -- Missouri Independent, July 2023

"Sickened by U.S. Nuclear Program, Communities Turn to Congress for Aid" -- The New York Times, April 2024 (subscription required)

Or watch documentaries: The First Secret City, The Safe Side of the Fence, Atomic Homefront

The contamination dates back to the Manhattan Project, a top-secret World War II program that led to the atomic bomb. The United States conducted nearly 200 atmospheric nuclear weapons tests from 1945 to 1962, according to the Department of Justice.

Generations of families have been afflicted with cancer and autoimmune diseases since then.

Caution Sign, Radioactive Materials, Barbed Wire Fence — Tom Nast - stock.adobe.com

It wasn't until the late 1970s that the public learned about the health and environment risks posed by toxic waste dumps. In response to national attention, Congress established the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act in 1980. The EPA says CERCLA's (Superfund) goals are to:

protect human health and the environment by cleaning up contaminated sites
make responsible parties pay for cleanup work
involve communities in the Superfund process
return Superfund sites to productive use

"For years, the EPA has dragged their feet and refused to clean up the West Lake Landfill. And Missourians have been left to suffer. I was happy to hear Lee Zeldin commit to changing the failed status quo," Hawley said in a press release before the confirmation. "He's committed to visiting the West Lake Landfill site, to finally start cleanup - and get it finished. This is a tremendous step in the right direction."

Attorney General Andrew Bailey thanked Hawley and Dawn Chapman, a long-time advocate for the cleanup, with a post on X, saying, "This is a huge win for Missourians who have been poisoned by their own government."

Hawley also wants to expand and reauthorize the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), which provides an apology and a one-time monetary compensation to individuals and their families for diseases associated with radiation exposure resulting from Cold War efforts.

Barrels of toxic waste in nature — Dejan Ilic

Over 57,000 claims have been filed since the RECA program was enacted in 1990. Those who were approved would receive between $50,000-100,000 lump sums. By statute, the period to file a claim ended June 10, 2024.

If approved, the reauthorization bill would extend the fund's timeline and expand eligible affected communities, including those in Missouri, New Mexico, Tennessee, Alaska, and Kentucky.

Hawley's bill passed in the Senate last March, but the House of Representatives failed to pass it before its expiration deadline in the 118th Congress. On Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, Hawley and other Senators reintroduced the act.

Sen Josh Hawley Sept 2024 RECA.jpg — Sen. Josh Hawley, September 2024

"For far too long, Missourians and others across America have suffered without compensation from their government," Hawley said. "It is vital that we unite to pass this legislation now, and that the President sign it into law."