Uranium plant contaminated Missouri lakes with radioactive waste

Public fishing lakes and streams in a conservation area were for years contaminated with uranium from the Weldon Spring Chemical Plant, write Allison Kite, Derek Kravitz and Kelly Kauffman in the Missouri Independent. Local residents worry about the long-term health implications.

In a nutshell:

Decades-long concerns over potential radioactive contamination in Missouri's August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area are front and center once again after revelations of higher-than-natural uranium levels in the area's lakes during the 1980s and 1990s. While the direct connection between the contamination and health impacts remains uncertain, locals who grew up fishing and swimming in the area have reported health issues, including rare cancers. Despite the contamination, authorities resisted calls for warning signs, and while the federal government maintains the site is safe, historical mishandling of radioactive waste in the region raises questions about the long-term health implications for residents.

Key quote:

“For the most part, we trusted what the government told us, and surely, in our brain, if there was something bad there, (the government) wouldn’t allow us to be there.”

-- Steve Allen, local resident

The big picture:

High levels of uranium and radioactivity in freshwater sources can pose significant health risks to populations relying on them. Prolonged exposure to these contaminants has been linked to an increased risk of kidney damage, cancers and other serious ailments. Ensuring clean, uncontaminated water is thus imperative for public health and safety.

Read more at the Missouri Independent.

Even at low levels, uranium may play a role in some cancers and fertility problems. Studies have shown it acts as an endocrine disruptor, mimicking the hormone estrogen. Check out EHN's series "Sacred Water" for more on low-level exposures and health.