History of Issue

History:

• In late 1941, the United States entered World War II. Throughout the war, Arthur Compton, the director of the metallurgical laboratory of the Manhattan Project was in charge of making the atomic bombs that destroyed the 2 cities in Japan. The Manhattan Project later partnered with the Mallinckrodt Chemical Works Company in order to purify uranium for the atomic bombs, in order to support the war effort. Initially, Mallinckrodt was located near the Mississippi River in Saint Louis, Missouri. However, it later relocated twice within the city.  

• During this period, the waste from the uranium purification process was dumped on a site near Lambert Airport. In 1962, around 117 tons of these materials were purchased by the Continental Milling and Mining Company, which relocated the waste to Latty Avenue before shipment to another state. The remaining waste was then dumped at the West Lake Landfill which still exists today. 

• Unfortunately, some remnants of the waste from the Lambert Airport and Latty Avenue sites were washed into Coldwater Creek, a watercourse that flowed through the backyards of many residents in North Saint Louis. Coldwater Creek was severely contaminated with radioactive waste, unbeknownst to the friends and families who swam in it, unknowingly exposing themselves and then suffering horrible consequences. This has resulted in significant ongoing suffering in North Saint Louis.