EPA: Baseball Field Near West Lake Landfill Suitable for Use

The baseball field near the West Lake Landfill in Bridgeton, Mo. is suitable for public use, the Environmental Protection Agency concluded this week after conducting a gamma radiation screening of the site. The results of the test, conducted back in early May, revealed that the Bridgeton Municipal Athletic Complex has only background radiation levels on par with other local parks. The EPA had faced mounting community pressure to test the site after a private citizen’s test showed a spike near a drainage ditch by the field. The screening collected data from 60,000 points along 45 miles of transecting lines while also collecting 100 soil samples for laboratory testing, the EPA said. “EPA’s analysis of data collected from more than 58,000 surface points across BMAC suggests no levels of gamma radiation that would pose public health concerns for users of this facility,” EPA Regional Administrator Karl Brooks said in a statement. “This was a thorough scientific survey, coupled with meticulous review and quality control checks of the data.”