New Study Links Cancer Risk to St. Louis Creek Pollution
A recent study reveals that children who lived near a St. Louis creek, contaminated with radioactive waste from the 1940s to the 1960s, have a higher likelihood of being diagnosed with cancer compared to their peers further away. This research, published in JAMA Network Open, supports long-standing concerns expressed by residents living close to Coldwater Creek about the health impacts of playing in or near the polluted water.
“We observed a significant increase in cancer risk, which grew more pronounced as childhood residents lived closer to Coldwater Creek,” noted Marc Weisskopf, a professor of epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Historically, during the Manhattan Project, Mallinckrodt Chemical Works processed uranium in St. Louis, disposing of radioactive waste in open steel drums near Coldwater Creek, which led to environmental contamination.
This study was released just after the approval of the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which includes a provision aimed at helping those affected by nuclear waste exposure, offering $25,000 to families of individuals who died from radiation-linked cancers and $50,000 to survivors.
The new provision acknowledges health risks even at lower radiation levels linked to atomic bomb production, which aligns with the findings of the study. This follows the expiration of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act last year, which previously provided $2.6 billion to those affected by radiation exposure from atomic weapon tests.
Weisskopf’s study included data from over 4,000 participants who donated their baby teeth for research, originally undertaken to investigate cognitive decline. However, upon hearing numerous mentions of Coldwater Creek, the focus shifted to assessing its impact on cancer risk. Close to a quarter of the participants reported having cancer, with those living within one kilometer of the creek being 44% more likely to report a diagnosis than those living over 20 kilometers away.
Moreover, those near the creek exhibited an 85% increased likelihood of developing radiosensitive cancers believed to be caused by radiation. Dr. Rebecca Smith-Bindman from the University of California remarked on the study’s design, emphasizing the importance of minimizing radiation exposure, primarily from medical imaging, and the need to remediate radioactive waste sites.
The Gender Disparity
Interestingly, male participants displayed a higher cancer development rate compared to females. Hypothetically, this could stem from boys playing more frequently in Coldwater Creek after World War II.
St. Louis has a historical context with the baby teeth collection and previous research linking cancer to nuclear fallout. Specifically, high levels of strontium-90 were found in milk, prompting important regulatory actions. A study from 2011 indicated a significant disparity in radioactive strontium levels in baby teeth between men who died of cancer and those who remained healthy.
For future endeavors, Weisskopf plans to measure strontium-90 in baby teeth to further explore cancer risk associated with radiation exposure. He noted that boys might have played in the creek more often, suggesting their teeth could show higher radiation levels. Given the half-life of strontium-90, a deeper investigation is considered timely as researchers examine the possible lingering effects in these teeth.
