St. Louis has been dubbed “Atomic City” by environmental organizations across the country. And, in 2024, the St. Louis region once again got the short end of a poisonous radioactive stick due to its U.S. atomic legacy.
The nation’s atomic bomb builders have used portions of St. Louis City and County, as well as St. Charles County, as guinea pigs and as sacrificial lambs, for nuclear weapons programs dating back to World War II.
As Environmental Echo has previously reported, there has been plenty of political posturing, plenty of statements from government agencies, and plenty of nothing getting done. It’s been going on for decades with the radioactive contamination left here from America’s atomic bomb program.
In 2024, there has been plenty of talk about more testing for radioactive contamination at new land sites, more talk about testing groundwater for contamination, more talk about testing backyards and physical structures.
In 2024, there also has been plenty of talk about posting more “Danger Signs” at creeks and streams. Kids have been playing and hiking along contaminated waterways – without even the “Band Aid” of warning signs – for several generations.