This is stated in the report of Boston Chemical Data Corporation, an independent company specializing in environmental testing.

How did radioactive waste get into the school?

The school in question, Jana Elementary, borders Coldwater Creek. Scientists and society have known for a long time that it is contaminated with nuclear waste.

The waste in the creek comes from the remnants of the Manhattan Engineering District project. Many plants in this area have been tested regularly. Unfortunately, when Coldwater Creek overflows, some of the radioactive material settles on nearby lands such as a school.
– the report’s author, Mark Kaltofen, told CNN.

The report states that the level of radioactive contamination found in elementary school is high. thorium-230“emitting very harmful alpha radiation”. other radioactive isotopes such as lead-210detected at a concentration 22 times higher than the expected radiation background, which according to the document is completely unacceptable.

It is clear that exposure to radiation and lead poisoning are extremely dangerous for humans, especially children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, radiation exposure significantly increases the risk of developing cancer, while even the smallest amount of lead poisoning can severely affect a child’s development.

Society has been calling on the government for a long time regarding this problem.

In December, long before the report was released, residents expressed disappointment with the completion date of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ river cleanup project, which was pushed back to 2038.

The Corps already shared findings about possible pollution in the river near the school earlier this year, but did not collect samples from the school grounds. There’s also the possibility that the Corps “underestimated the actual level of pollution,” a local newspaper reported.

Community members’ distrust of the Corps’ findings led to an independent investigation by Boston Chemical.

Still, the Corps insists their findings show the school is safe. Corps’ St. Philip Moser, head of the disaster recovery program in St. Louis, said he was “shocked” by the independent report.