St. Louis County residents near Coldwater Creek have more cases of rare cancers and other diseases compared to citizens in the rest of the metro area.
The increase in diseases is possibly due to radiological contamination in the watershed, according to the CDC. Although being cleaned slowly, Coldwater Creek is still toxic and affects nearby residents.
Coldwater Creek during the summertime (Image Source: US Army Corps of Engineers)
Beyond Nuclear, a nonprofit anti-nuclear advocacy group, was at the forefront of exposing the contamination of Coldwater Creek to government agencies. Kay Drey, a Beyond Nuclear board member, is a St. Louis area resident. A friend and fellow anti-nuke activist, Theodore Kavanaugh, said that Drey and her late husband dedicated their lives to environmental issues. Kavanaugh said that Drey is especially passionate about cleaning up nuclear contamination and opposing future nuclear developments.
“Kay butted heads against anything nuclear in Missouri,” said Kavanaugh, “She was also a powerful voice that pushed the EPA & Army’s arrival to test Coldwater Creek and nearby parks. Around mid-2013, I think, she pressed Missouri health officials to tell the federal government that ‘hey, we need help.’”
According to Kavanaugh, federal government entities were slow to take responsibility for the contamination of Coldwater Creek. However, the radiation undoubtedly came from a facility that dates to World War II.
“In 1941, The U.S. Army got some land around St. Charles County called Weldon Springs. Back then, the army built a facility there and used this land to test nuclear reactions for the Manhattan Project. Most people don’t know about it,” said Kavanaugh. He said that he’s unsure how so many St. Louisans don’t know about the city’s nuclear history.
“Anyway, the army eventually discontinued nuclear tests at this facility, but they had to dispose of the waste – the radioactive waste – in the facility. Stored the waste near Lambert (airport), right next to Coldwater Creek. It was only a matter of time till the creek got contaminated,” said Kavanaugh.
Now, a rocks pile covers contained radiation at the Weldon Springs site, with a small army base next door. The rock pile is a climbable tourist attraction in North County.
A climb to the top of the Weldon Springs' Pile of Rocks
In its 2018 Public Health Assessment Report, the CDC’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry officially concludes “radiological contamination in and around Coldwater Creek, before remediation activities, could have increased the risk of some types of cancer in people who played or lived there.” The CDC recognizes that prolonged exposure to the creek could cause cancer. However, the CDC does not consider it proven that the contamination has caused cancer in anyone. Subsequently, “the CDC does not recommend additional disease screening for past or present residents around Coldwater Creek.”
The CDC remains unsure of the effect Coldwater Creek’s contamination has on its nearby residents. Cancer and disease statistics show a correlation between proximity to Coldwater Creek and increased diseases.
In 2015, a community group called Coldwater Creek Facts conducted an illness survey in North County. Along the creek, there were 448 reported cases of autoimmune disease, 184 brain tumor reports, 1993 cancer cases, 53 lupus cases, and 84 multiple sclerosis cases. The rest of North County had a lower concentration of cancer and other illnesses.
Cancer and autoimmune disease reported in greater concentration along Coldwater Creek
John Talley, a retired chemist, comes from a background following the environmental impact of Monsanto Products. Talley said that ionizing radiation causes cancer and birth defects at greater severity.
“We’re constantly subjected to ionizing radiation from the sun, so not all radiation will be destructive to our bodies. The amount of radiation is always in question, and it can be really hard to quantify how exactly an individual is affected by radiation. However, if anyone around Coldwater Creek has been diagnosed with cancer, I’d believe them if they told me that they think it’s from the creek. When a fetus is exposed to ionizing radiation, there can be high-level birth defects, so I’d also believe someone who thinks they lost their child due because of chronic exposure,” said Talley. Talley said that there are a few things the government has to take care of fix the surrounding area of Coldwater Creek.
“Coldwater Creek is a Superfund site, meaning that they’ll need to remove all the surrounding soil. They bury all the soil in drums lined in plastic that has a really long half-life, and then they line that all with more containment. Wherever the drums are stored, it'll be surveilled,” said Talley. Talley said that it's important the cleanup is careful yet hasty.
“One isotope is thorium 2030 which has a half-life longer than the earth will last, so it won’t just go away on its own,” said Talley. “These chemicals need to be stored away safely so there is no leakage.”
Regarding the CDC’s official conclusions, the activist, Kavanaugh, said he wishes the government would listen to the people instead of following bureaucratic processes.
“I understand that processes take time, but it’s not too hard to realize that people are suffering near the creek, and the creek is contaminated. Not always does correlation equal causation, but in this case, I think it’s clear. The radiation in Coldwater Creek is dangerous and it just pisses me off every time the government minimalizes it. I think these affected people deserve compensation, but that’s just me,” said Kavanaugh.
When Tressa Gilliat was 14 years old, she lost her mom to cancer. Her mother, Holly, grew up less than a minute from Coldwater Creek. Now, 20 years old, Gilliat believes her mother was killed by the creek’s radiation.
“When my mom and my uncle were kids, they didn’t know about the creek being poisoned. They played near it. Even played in it at times. I’ve been to the house because my uncle lived in it until just three years ago. I’ve been by the parts of the creek accessible near her house. There aren’t signs or anything. I really feel like someone should have known something. Even if this was all an accident, I feel like I’m owed an apology. I mean, this creek killed my mom and so many others. That’s the least I could ask for,” said Gilliat.
Some have lost friends. Hazelwood resident, Peyton Vasquez, lives less than five minutes from Coldwater Creek. He said he knows a family devasted by Coldwater Creek.
“I was kinda close to this guy in middle school. A couple years after moving into a house that backed up to the creek, he started developing lung issues. Then, his mom got cancer, and then his dad got cancer,” said Vasquez. He said that the middle schooler’s lung issue became a deterrent in their friendship. The middle schooler became distant and despondent from his classmates.
"We used to play baseball together, but by eighth grade, he’d stop showing up. He told us that he just couldn’t play anymore. He couldn’t breathe well enough,” said Vasquez. Vasquez is no longer in contact with this person and does not want to disclose his or his family’s name without their consent.
The fight to clean up Coldwater Creek continues today.
Cori Bush, a congresswoman representing Missouri’s first congressional district, has fought for more assistance from the federal government to remedy the contamination.
“Our communities have seen hundreds of our neighbors sickened with rare cancers. Animals, birds, and insects have dropped dead in our neighborhoods. For decades, the Department of Energy has been too slow to protect our lives and livelihoods. Today, we’re one step closer to changing that,” said Bush on the House Floor on July 1, 2021. She backed a new amendment called the INVEST in America Act, H.R. 3684 that would require the EPA Administrator to undertake a review of current and ongoing efforts to remediate radiological contamination at Coldwater Creek in North County. It passed in the House, the Senate and was signed into law.
With the act’s passing, there’s reason to believe that there’s more hope for the residents around Coldwater Creek who've suffered for years from nuclear radiation.
One of the many byproducts of the deadliest weapon has been a slow sickening of its maker’s citizens. Hopefully, this legislation can be the cure.
“We’ve waited for change in North St. Louis County for too long. There is no overstating it: if this legislation is passed by the Senate and becomes law, lives in St. Louis will be saved,” said Bush on the House Floor.
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