Landfill operator sues for help with EPA cleanup

ST. LOUIS -- The operator of a suburban St. Louis landfill where an underground fire smolders near illegally dumped radioactive waste is suing the drug maker whose predecessor processed the Cold War-era nuclear material.

Bridgeton Landfill LLC seeks help paying for the $205 million cleanup of the Superfund site in the lawsuit filed Tuesday against Mallinckrodt LLC, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. The suit says Mallinckrodt's predecessor, Mallinckrodt Chemical Works, refined uranium compounds used in the U.S. government's Manhattan Project decades ago at its factory north of downtown St. Louis.

Later, leached barium sulfate from the weapons program was mixed with contaminated soil and used to cover trash at the West Lake Landfill, which is adjacent to the smoldering Bridgeton Landfill. Republic Services, which subsequently acquired both landfills through a merger, has spent millions of dollars to ensure the fire and the nuclear waste don't meet.

The suit says Mallinckrodt should have to pay the costs Bridgeton Landfill has incurred and will incur during the cleanup, including interest, in addition to attorneys' fees. It also seeks a declaratory judgment that the drug manufacturer is liable for future response costs or damages.