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Suit Dismissed That Alleged West Lake Landfill's Radiation Had Spread

Map of the West Lake Landfill
Provided by the EPA

At the behest of the man who had filed the suit, a U.S. District Court has dismissed a suit that had alleged the radiation from the West Lake Landfill had spread into surrounding neighborhoods.

The dismissal had been requested by the lawyer for John James, who lived in a subdivision near the landfill, which is near Bridgeton. The lawyer has said that test results failed to show enough radiation to meet the federal standard for damages.

The suit had been filed against the landfill’s owner, Republic Services, as well as Mallinckrodt, the Cotter Corporation and others. It had sought class action status for anyone owning property within a three-mile radius of the landfill.

The dismissal, issued late Friday, comes just weeks after Republic settled another lawsuit by agreeing to pay at least $4.6 million to almost 1,000 current and former neighbors of the Bridgeton Landfill, which is next to West Lake. The Bridgeton Landfill has been plagued with odors and an underground fire that critics have feared might spread to the West Lake Landfill, which houses radioactive waste from World War II.

The EPA, the U.S. Corps of Engineers and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources have been monitoring the situation. Republic has taken several actions, including the installation of a new cover over the Bridgeton Landfill, and of a fire break, to curb the odor problem and prevent the fire from spreading.

A spokesman for Republic said it was not surprised by the suit's dismissal.

Jo Mannies is a freelance journalist and former political reporter at St. Louis Public Radio.