How did radioactive waste end up in the West Lake Landfill?
The waste was created during World War II, when St. Louis-based Mallinckrodt Chemical Works purified uranium for nuclear weapons research. The waste was eventually purchased by Cotter Corporation, then illegally dumped in north St. Louis County in 1973.
When did the Westlake Landfill become a Superfund site?
1990
| West Lake Landfill | |
|---|---|
| Progress | |
| Proposed | 10/28/1989 |
| Listed | 08/30/1990 |
| List of Superfund sites |
Do landfills have radiation?
Radiation can be a problem at a landfill, however, nuisance alarms can be problematic as well. Approximately 80% of all radiation alarms at landfills are caused by NORM (Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material) or medical isotopes with short half lives.
What is the purpose of just moms STL?
“Just Moms STL is dedicated to protecting our families and our futures from further exposures to radioactive and toxic waste from the Manhattan Project era specifically the Superfund site known as West Lake Landfill.”
What materials were disposed of in the West Lake Landfill?
Originally used for agriculture, the land became a limestone quarrying and crushing operation in 1939. Beginning in the early 1950s, portions of the quarried areas and adjacent areas were used to dispose of municipal refuse, industrial solid wastes, and construction/demolition debris.
What are EPA Superfund sites?
Superfund sites are polluted locations in the United States requiring a long-term response to clean up hazardous material contaminations. They were designated under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980.
What are the examples of radioactive waste?
Types of radioactive waste
- Low-level waste.
- Intermediate-level waste.
- High-level waste.
- Very low-level waste.
- Mining through to fuel fabrication.
- Electricity generation.
- Reprocessing of used fuel.
- Decommissioning nuclear plants.
How do you dispose of radioactive waste?
Disposal of low-level waste is straightforward and can be undertaken safely almost anywhere. Storage of used fuel is normally under water for at least five years and then often in dry storage. Deep geological disposal is widely agreed to be the best solution for final disposal of the most radioactive waste produced.
How far away should you live from a Superfund site?
This vapor intrusion then poses further risk to nearby residents, inside of their homes where they would otherwise be inclined to feel safe. Obviously, proximity to a Superfund site is critical; four miles’ distance poses a decreased health risk as compared to a mere forty feet.
What is a subsurface smoldering event?
All these conditions are indicative of a below-ground, high-temperature chemical reaction, also known as a “subsurface smoldering event” or “underground fire.” Rather, it is a self-sustaining, high-temperature reaction that consumes waste underground, producing rapid “settlement” of the landfill’s surface.
What kind of material is in Bridgeton Landfill?
The landfill contains two operable units (OU-1 and OU-2), both of which contain low-level radioactive material. Soil samples indicate the presence of leached barium sulfate cake, Uranium and Thorium. According to a spokesperson for Republic Services in 2015, “The reference to leached is relevant.
Where is the exothermic reaction at Bridgeton Landfill?
In December 2010, landfill contractors detected early indicators of a possible exothermic reaction in the South Quarry of the Bridgeton Landfill. In the nearly five years since, the reaction has moved in the opposite direction of West Lake Landfill and remains contained in the southernmost portion of the South Quarry.
Why is the Bridgeton Landfill in Missouri on fire?
Here is what you need to know about the situation in Missouri. An exothermic reaction at the Bridgeton (Mo.) Sanitary Landfill that began nearly six years ago continues to smolder. This is a concern because of low-level radioactive material that was disposed of at the adjacent West Lake Landfill in 1973.
Where is West Lake Landfill and Bridgeton Landfill?
In the nearly five years since, the reaction has moved in the opposite direction of West Lake Landfill and remains contained in the southernmost portion of the South Quarry. The Bridgeton Landfill is divided into North and South Quarries that are connected by a narrow band called a “neck.”