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State Rep. Doug Clemens, D-St. Ann, released the following statement following revelations of radioactive contamination at Jana Elementary School in his district:
“Last week, Missouri citizens learned that St. Louis County children have attended a school which contains hazardous radioactive material, confirming the darkest fears of many residents in the area. The contamination found inside Jana Elementary School in the Hazelwood School District confirms our community’s darkest fears. The knowledge that these young lives have been needlessly put at risk is mind-numbing and heartbreaking.
“Missourians today suffer from radioactive hazardous materials negligently scattered from downtown St. Louis to St. Charles County as far back the Manhattan Project. The Federal Government knew many of the risks posed by this waste as early as 1939, yet it took them over 50 years to begin clean-up efforts in 1992.
“That’s why many of my colleagues in the Missouri House of Representatives and I formed the Legacy Waste Caucus in 2020 to gather information from pertinent state and federal departments, establish institutional knowledge within the body through peer-to-peer education, and develop policy solutions to protect the people in our communities.
“As a resident of North St. Louis County, I share the pain of any family with child who attends or attended this school and the individuals who have suffered illness in their adult years.
“As a representative of the people, I have had enough.”
“In light of this new horrifying realization, I am calling on the US Department of Energy to not only increase its work efforts in Missouri but to see that the Hazelwood School District and any other municipality, household, or commercial enterprise suffering real and opportunity cost damages be reimbursed by the government. Our community should not shoulder the financial burdens of work stoppages on road or utility projects, of declining home values, or of mystery illnesses borne from the poison left by our government.”
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