Low-level radioactive contamination found along creek

HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said low-level radiological contamination has been found at three sites along Coldwater Creek in St. Louis County, including two municipal parks and Archdiocese of St. Louis property.

The Corps hopes to clean up the parks over the next four months and stresses the waste doesn't present an immediate threat to public health because it's buried under several inches of soil, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

"Unless you dug it up and ate it, it's not going to be a big threat," said Corps spokesman Mike Petersen.

The contamination was found as part of an ongoing Corps program to clean up leftover waste from the country's early nuclear weapons program, which obtained much of its refined uranium from a former factory in the St. Louis area.

Some people who grew up along the creek in years past believe health ailments, including cancer, are caused by the radioactive material.

Jenell Wright, who sits on a panel overseeing the cleanup, said the Corps also should be testing in neighborhoods where high incidences of cancer have been reported. But that kind of work would require more funding and a broader project authorization.