The Missouri Coalition for the Environment will guide a tour of some radioactively contaminated locations in the St. Louis metro area. The radioactive wastes originated when Mallinckrodt Chemical Works agreed to process uranium for nuclear weapons for the Manhattan Project during World War II. Areas that will be visited include the St. Louis airport site, the Latty Avenue/Hazelwood Interim Storage Site, the West Lake Landfill, and Weldon Spring site.
The tour will educate students about the development of nuclear weapons and the role St. Louis played in this effort. Tour participants will also learn about which government agencies are in charge the many different moving parts on the sites that will be visited. Agencies involved at the sites visited include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy, Nuclear Regulator Commission, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services, St. Louis County Health Department, and St. Louis County Department of Emergency Management. The tour will be a great introduction as to how federalism works in real life.
The tour will be kept to areas where the public is allowed access and the tour near the landfill will be brief.
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