In an independent report by Boston Chemical Data Corp, Jana Elementary School in Florissant, Missouri, was just found to be highly contaminated by radioactive waste.
Jana Elementary sits near Coldwater Creek, which was contaminated by radioactive waste in the 1940s by a Manhattan Project production site in St. Louis where uranium was refined for the atomic bomb.
Radioactive waste from this facility was improperly stored and leaked into Coldwater Creek.
Over the years, mitigation and cleanup efforts by the Army Corp of Engineers had largely eradicated the problem from the creek, but no one has ever tested the area around the elementary school or inside it.
Boston Chemical's report shows that the radiation was pretty crazy.
Levels of the radioactive isotope lead-210 found on school grounds were entirely unacceptable.
The levels of radioactive lead, known as lead-210, found in the kindergarten playground were 'more than 22 times the expected background,' while lead-210 levels on the school's basketball courts were "more than 12 times the expected background.
There is no safe blood lead level for children, and exposure to radiation can lead to cancer later in life. A person can spread radioactive material, like dust, to other people through their clothing.
The US Army Corps of Engineers issued the following statement:
Our team will evaluate the Boston Chemical Data Corp. report and methods used to create these results. The Boston Chemical Data Corp. report is not consistent with our accepted evaluation techniques and must be thoroughly vetted to ensure accuracy.
The Jana Elementary School property does have FUSRAP contamination near the CWC bank that is below ground surface and in a densely wooded area. However, the sample locations in the actual floodplain between the Coldwater Creek (CWC) bank and playground area are not contaminated.
The team has been coordinating with the Hazelwood School District regarding the status of sampling on the property. Any contamination posing a high risk or immediate threat to human health or the environment would be made a priority for remediation.
Meanwhile the local PTA is encouraging parents to send letters to community leaders and elected officials with the following wording:
The radioactive contamination found inside Jana Elementary School and in the outside play area is an unacceptable threat. I am requesting an immediate cleanup of hazardous waste on Jana Elementary School property and building, in its entirety, to ensure the safety of our children, teachers, and school staff.
