![Federal agencies knew radioactive waste from the Manhattan Project was being stored haphazardly. Then it leaked into a creek where residents swam.](https://san.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/FeaturedImage_1689963277512-Kay-Drey-Mallinckrodt-Collection.jpg?w=1920)
Manhattan Project radioactive waste made people ill. Should the gov’t pay the medical bills?
Should the US government pay the medical bills of people who were exposed to radioactive waste created during the Manhattan project?
Senator Josh Hawley introduced a bill to do just that. He wants the government to compensate people in the St. Louis area who lived near a creek where waste was stored. Hawley said covered illnesses should include cancer, autoimmune disease or a genetic disorder.
Here’s why:
Mallinkrodt Chemical Company helped process the uranium that was used to make the first atomic bomb near downtown St. Louis. An investigation by the AP, The Missouri Independent and MuckRock found that the materials were transported and stored haphazardly. They even spilled out of the back of trucks on their route to storage.
In 1949, a federal contractor left radioactive waste in steel drums along Coldwater Creek in St. Louis. It leaked into the water.
In the 1970s, the government paid another contractor to dispose of more waste, but it was illegally dumped into a public landfill.
In 1976, a government test revealed levels of radiation in Coldwater Creek were extremely dangerous.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.: “This is their government dumping radioactive material into their water, their soil and then lying to them about it. Not even for a year or two years, but for three quarters of a century.”
People who lived near the creek, and even swam in it, have suffered severe illness.
Kristen Camusso: “In 2012, in an 11 month period, I had a total hysterectomy due to masses on my ovaries. I had an adrenal gland removed due to a tumor. I’ve had thyroid cancer.”
Jana elementary school sits right alongside Coldwater creek. The school is now closed. A private scientist found that the school was contaminated, while the Army Corps of Engineers said it was safe.
Sen. Josh Hawley: “These are parents who sent their kids to the school trusting that they’d get a great education. And what did they get instead? Exposure to radioactive contamination.”
The government is now working on a remediation project at coldwater creek. But it’s not scheduled to be finished until 2038. Straight from DC, I’m Ray Bogan.