Medical guidance sought after radioactive contamination closes St. Louis County school

FLORISSANT, Mo. — Some parents of children at Jana Elementary School in suburban St. Louis say they'll seek medical testing and guidance from doctors about what to do next, after a privately-funded environmental study found radioactive contamination inside the school and on the playground.

The Hazelwood Board of Education on Tuesday announced plans to close the grade school in Florissant indefinitely and clean it. The roughly 400 students — 80% of whom are Black — will do virtual learning for now, then be sent to some of the district's 19 other elementary schools starting Nov. 28.

It's unclear how long the cleanup process will take, what it will involve or who will pay for it. A district spokeswoman declined to comment beyond a written statement that broadly outlined the plan to close the school and relocate children.

Coldwater Creek runs directly behind Jana Elementary, which has educated thousands of children since it opened 50 years ago. The creek was contaminated in the 1940s and 1950s when waste from atomic bomb material manufactured in St. Louis got into the waterway near Lambert Airport, where the waste was stored. The creek runs 19 miles before spilling into the Missouri River.

The result was an environmental nightmare. For decades, children who lived near the creek hunted for crawdads and splashed in the water on hot summer days, unaware of the poison they were playing in.

"We don't blame you all, but we want to hear what's going on because these are our babies," said Patrice Strickland, who returns to her seat after speaking out during the public portion of a Hazelwood School Board meeting addressing a report that elevated levels of radioactive waste found at Jana Elementary School, Tuesday, Oct. 18, at the Hazelwood School District Learning Center in Florissant, Missouri. Strickland has two children who have been attending school virtually since August.Laurie Skrivan ~ St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP

A 2019 federal report determined that those exposed to Coldwater Creek from the 1960s to the 1990s may have an increased risk of bone cancer, lung cancer and leukemia. Environmentalists and area residents have cited several instances of extremely rare cancers that have sickened and killed people.

The Environmental Protection Agency established a Superfund site in 1989, and the government is spending millions to clean up the mess, though the project isn't expected to end until 2038.

Amidst that backdrop, it's no wonder Jana Elementary parents were alarmed by the Oct. 10 report from Boston Chemical Data Corp., funded by two law firms suing to seek compensation for illnesses and deaths. It found levels of radioactive isotope lead-210 that were 22 times the expected level on the kindergarten playground. It also found high levels of polonium, radium and other material inside the school.

Kimberly Anderson told the board during a packed meeting on Tuesday that she is raising three grandchildren who attend Jana Elementary. She worried about the health damage that might already have occurred.

"This can cause long-term affects with children," Anderson said, adding the district should provide a medical expert who can offer "insight as to what I need to be looking for and what I need to have tested for my children."

To start with, Anderson said she plans to have the blood of her grandchildren tested.

This aerial photo shows Jana Elementary School, in the Hazelwood School District, on Monday, Oct. 17, in Florissant, Missouri. Elevated levels of radioactive waste were found at the school, according to a recent report. Nearby Coldwater Creek, hidden by a line of trees next to the field to the right, which is prone to flooding, was contaminated by waste from nuclear bombs manufactured during World War II.David Carson ~ St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP

Ashley Bernaugh is president of the PTA, lives nearby and has a son who attends. She called the findings of the study "terrifying." She's done enough research to know any health ramifications may be years or decades away, not immediate.

"But lab testing would be prudent especially because of the levels of radioactivity and lead found," Bernaugh said.

The Army Corps of Engineers earlier found contamination in the woods nearby. But since none was found in the area between the woods and the school, the agency didn't test the building or the grounds.

Phillip Moser, program manager of the Corps' Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program in St. Louis, expressed concerns about the Boston Chemical report, calling it "incomplete and not consistent with the approved processes required to do an evaluation at one of our sites."

Jana Elementary School, left, which is in the Hazelwood School District, on Monday, Oct. 17, in Florissant, Missouri.David Carson ~ St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP

Still, it was enough to prompt local, state and federal lawmakers to call for immediate action.

U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, a St. Louis Democrat, said the federal government "is responsible for this waste" and needs to clean it up.

On Thursday, Bush said the Corps will conduct new testing at Jana Elementary to learn more about the level of radioactive contamination.

"We've been applying pressure," Bush said. "We will continue to do so."

Corps spokesman J.P. Rebello said testing will begin Monday. He didn't disclose any further details, but Bush said it may be several months before testing is completed and results are known.

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican, wrote to President Joe Biden on Wednesday, asking that he declare a federal emergency to expedite remediation. If cleanup is not feasible, Hawley said the government should pay for a new building.

"The parents, children and residents of this area have waited years for the federal government to complete its cleanup," Hawley wrote. "Now their school is contaminated. They deserve immediate relief."

Bush agreed that the federal government should bear the cost of making things right.

"For years, I've stood with community members in asking the Department of Energy and Army Corps to address the situation at Coldwater Creek," Bush said. "These agencies are responsible for the waste. They must clean it up, immediately. No excuses."

The plight of the kids at Jana Elementary hit hard for others who believe their own lives have been upended by contamination in Coldwater Creek.

Christen Commuso works for the Missouri Coalition for the Environment, and she grew up near the creek. She told the board that she's had several health problems, including thyroid cancer in her early 30s.

"I am standing before you as a living testament of what this waste can do," Commuso said.