Environmental agency to test Missouri home for radioactivity

BRIDGETON, Mo. -- The Environmental Protection Agency will conduct testing at a Bridgeton home near West Lake Landfill after a lawsuit was filed that stated the property contained traces of radioactivity matching the signature of the site's nuclear waste.

Michael and Robbin Dailey filed a lawsuit alleging samples of dust and dirt collected in and around their house had radioactivity levels that far exceeded normal thresholds.

The EPA also will conduct tests in other areas of Bridgeton, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The suit listed private companies associated with West Lake management and the neighboring Bridgeton Landfill as defendants.

The EPA was not named in the lawsuit but is in charge of organizing the cleanup of the site, where radioactive material was buried illegally four decades ago.

"It's 26 years too late, but I'll take it," Robbin Dailey said in reference to how long the EPA has managed the site.

"I want you to know that EPA takes very seriously any public health threat due to potential environmental exposures and recognize the concern in the community about the information in the lawsuit that was filed this week on behalf of the Daileys," a statement submitted by the EPA said. "Ultimately, we remain committed to the protection of the Bridgeton community and keeping the lines of communication open."

The agency requested the legal representatives of the Daileys disclose all sampling data from the couple's property, as well as any similar data "from nearby residences, business and publicly accessible locations in the area."