Report: Agency downplayed radiation risks at St. Louis landfill

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BRIDGETON, Mo. -- A new report says that a government agency's report helped downplay the dangers of radiation at a St. Louis County landfill.  

Uranium processing in the St. Louis area was crucial in developing nuclear weapons during World War II and the Cold War, but it has left the region with environmental and health impacts. Decades after Mallinckrodt Chemical Works began processing uranium near downtown St. Louis, the federal government continues to clean up nuclear contamination sites, including a creek and a landfill.

The West Lake Landfill in Bridgeton, Missouri contains tons of radioactive waste from the Manhattan Project. The landfill was declared one of the nation's most contaminated sites in 1990, but the waste remains there today. In 2012, a fire at the landfill brought the issue to public attention, as nearby residents reported health problems like high cancer rates.

The report from Reuters says that a government agency tasked with evaluating the health risks, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), has consistently minimized the risks. The ATSDR has issued reports declaring the landfill safe, contradicting findings from other experts. According to Reuters, this allowed the landfil...