BRIDGETON, Mo. – The Westlake Community Advisory Group held a meeting in Bridgeton to discuss the cleanup process and answer questions.
“There are documents that show that there were spills; there are documents that show that this waste wasn’t cleaned up properly,” said Karen Nickel, chair of the Westlake Community Advisory Group. “There are ongoing documents; there are documents that go back to 1949.”
People expressed their anger at Tuesday’s meeting with the group and asked questions of the elected officials attended.
“We want guarantees that the Department of Energy will pay for all of this, and we want some kind of health monitoring screenings, treatment, compensation for all of those who were exposed and hurt,” Nickel said.
Officials with the group said there is one other piece of legislation that is similar to Westlake, which is in Fernald, Ohio, where residents who were living near a nuclear weapons site received compensation for cancer diagnosis and medical conditions. The advisory group hopes to see similar legislation, and they also hope to prevent further contamination from happening.
“I can only imagine for all of you that have lost loved ones, that have terminal cancer, that doesn’t even know you’re sick yet how you’re going to feel,” Nickel said.