On Thursday’s NA, you
aired a clip about Cold Water Creek, which runs through St. Louis
County, Missouri. There was confusion as Pennsylvania was mentioned. You
also concluded the story was “fear-mongering”. I wanted to share a
personal connection to this story.
My
wife grew up in North St. Louis County, near the point where Cold Water
Creek meets the Missouri River. In 2000, she was diagnosed with a rare
blood cancer called Primary Thrombocythemia. Her brother suffers from
thyroid problems, and tragically, many of her childhood friends have
passed away from leukemia, lymphoma, hyperthyroidism, and similar
conditions. One of my sister-in-law’s nephews who played in Cold Water
Creek as a child, died of leukemia at 30 years old.
This
is not fear mongering. Mallinckrodt Chemical in St. Louis played a key
role in the Manhattan Project, manufacturing uranium oxide and uranium
metal. The resulting nuclear waste was grossly mishandled, contaminating
areas around Lambert Field and Cold Water Creek. Much of the waste was
buried in 55 gal drums in West Lake Landfill.
There’s
an excellent, eye-opening documentary available on YouTube called
“Atomic Homefront” that explores how the creek became contaminated, the
role of Mallinckrodt, and the ongoing threat posed by the nuclear waste
fire at the West Lake Landfill. I strongly encourage you to watch it to
learn about the ongoing problems in this area. Thank you.
Sir Skip Logic - Spring Hill, TN