Republic Services, owner of the West Lake Landfill, on Friday dismissed claims in a lawsuit filed last week that radioactive contamination from the controversial Superfund site in Missouri has entered a couple’s nearby home.
“We have not seen the suit, or any scientific data to support its foundation,” Republic Services spokesman Russ Knocke said in by email. “For years, federal regulators, state officials and third-party experts have been clear that the Landfill is safe. There has been no evidence that supports a claim for off-site contamination. The Landfill remains in a managed state.”
Michael and Robbin Dailey, who live in the city of Bridgeton, which is home to West Lake, filed suit Tuesday in St. Louis County Circuit Court against nine companies, including Republic Services. The lawsuit alleges the Dailey property contains high levels of uranium decay originating from West Lake, including thorium, lead, and radon.
The Environmental Protection Agency, which overseesWest Lake’s cleanup, is developing a plan to sample the Dailey residence and other areas in Bridgeton.
The landfill contains waste from the former uranium production facility at Mallinckrodt Chemical Works. Residents, lawmakers, and environmentalists there have long criticized EPA’s 25-year cleanup effort at the site.
