There is a significant level of radioactive contamination at a suburban St. Louis elementary school where nuclear weapons were manufactured during World War II, according to a new report released by environmental research consultants.
The Boston Chemical Data Corp. text lays out fears about contamination levels at Jana Elementary School in Florissant’s Hazelwood school district that had been raised in a previous Army Corps of Engineers study.
The new report is based on samples collected from the school in August, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Boston Chemical did not say who or what institution requested and funded the study.
“My heart broke,” said Ashley Bernaugh, president of the Jana Parent-Teacher Association and mother of one of the students. “It sounds cliché, but she blows your mind.”
The school is located in the floodplain of Coldwater Creek, which was contaminated with nuclear waste from weapons production during World War II. The waste was stored at sites located near the St. Louis Lambert International Airport, in the vicinity of the creek that flows into the Missouri River. The Army Corps of Engineers has spent more than 20 years cleaning up the site.
In its report, the Corps of Engineers also noted that it had found contamination at the site, but at much lower levels, and did not take samples within 300 feet of the school. The most recent study included samples taken from the library, kitchen, classrooms, sports fields and playgrounds.
Levels of the radioactive isotope lead-210, polonium, radium and other toxicants “far exceeded” Boston Chemical’s expectations. Contamination was found in dust samples collected within the school.
Inhaling or ingesting these radioactive materials can cause significant damage, see study.
“A significant correction program is being completed so that the conditions in the school are up to expectations,” the text states.
