FLORISSANT, Mo. – After a recent report of radioactive contamination at one St. Louis County school, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is planning to collect samples from the school grounds next week.
Starting Monday, the Army Corps will expand sampling to include the entire school property, including soil samples and structure surveys inside and outside the school. Preliminary results from the sampling could be available in two weeks.
In a report from Boston Chemical Data Corporation, environmental investigation consultants recently pointed out radioactive contamination at Jana Elementary School in North St. Louis County. Concerns about radioactive contamination at Jana Elementary increased after Coldwater Creek flooded back in July amid record-breaking rainfall in the St. Louis region.
According to the United States Army Corps of Engineers in St. Louis, the school and creek samples were not tested in a way that was consistent with their regulations. As a result, the team is planning to retest with its method to ensure accuracy of the radioactive waste contamination.
“We are committed to working with the school board and community leaders to help provide a safe learning environment for the Jana Elementary School students. We believe this community deserves a second opinion,” said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in a statement Friday.
Meanwhile, Jana Elementary School will close and transition to virtual learning for several weeks as officials work to determine the next steps in response.
While it may be difficult to pinpoint the exact source of contamination, radioactive waste has inhabited the St. Louis region for decades. In the 1940s, St. Louis had a site dedicated to The Manhattan Project, a code name for the American-led effort to develop a functional atomic weapon during World War II, a process leading to tons of chemical waste.