Public Health

Bridgeton Landfill: Really Awful Smell Not A Health Hazard, But Still Stinky, Officials Say

Last month, we reported on the really awful smell in Bridgeton, Missouri that was so bad, residents said the terrible stench had invaded their homes and was causing their eyes to burn. Soon after the media attention, the company behind the landfill said it was "very sorry" and that it would work to ... More >>

There's Poop in the Drinking Water at Some Missouri State Parks! Doesn't Anyone Care?

A national environmental group is calling for a federal review of drinking-water quality at Missouri's state parks, citing a failure to perform federally mandated testing, as well as repeated instances of contamination with coliform bacteria, including E. coli. For the uninitiated, when science typ ... More >>

Have Atom: The SLU theater company's nuclear option might blow your mind

Thirty Years After Dioxin Disaster, EPA Returns to Times Beach

Starting this afternoon, the Environmental Protection Agency will be back on the former site of Times Beach for a trip down memory lane. Armed with new testing techniques, EPA scientists will collect soil samples in a pilot of new dioxin testing techniques. But spokesperson Chris Whitley says that ... More >>

St. Louis Air: Still Polluted, But Showing Improvement

The American Lung Association released its State of the Air report, and St. Louis once again ranked in the top ten for year-round particle pollution, coming in as the tenth most-polluted city out of the 277 metropolitan areas measured -- that's not good. However, the data shows that since 2003-2005 ... More >>

St. Louis City: Fat, Drunk, VD-Ridden and Unhappy, but Still Loveable

The University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson  Foundation released its County Health Rankings and Roadmaps report, and it paints a very unflattering portrait of St. Louis City residents. For the third year running, STL proper is the least healthy place to l ... More >>

County Health Department Releases Open Letter Ahead of Farmers' Market Meeting

Last month, the St. Louis County Council began considering changes to the regulations governing farmers' markets. Clayton Farmers' Market master Deb Henderson has been an outspoken critic of the proposed new rules, telling Gut Check "if [the county] rewrites a definition of of a farmers' market and ... More >>

Missouri Workers Exceed National Average for Secondhand Smoke Exposure

​Nearly 12 percent of Missouri workers are exposed to secondhand smoke on their jobs, according a study published this week by the Center for Disease Control. That's nearly double the national average of around 7 percent. The survey used data collected from all Missouri counties in 2007 and 2008. ... More >>

Jury: Former Owners of Doe Run Lead Smelter Must Pay Families $38 Million

Photo: Jennifer SilverbergWarnings outside the Doe Run smelter in Herculaneum.​A trial lasting three months wrapped up today in St. Louis Circuit Court with a jury awarding 16 plaintiffs $38.5 million in compensatory damages for lead poisoning they sustained living next to a Herculaneum smelter. M ... More >>

BPA's Effects Are Underestimated, Mizzou Study Says

BPA can be found in common plastics such as the ones used to make water bottles.​What's that in your hand? A Dasani bottle? Are you eating out of Tupperware as you read this? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, you might not want to read about a recent study conducted at the Univ ... More >>

Missouri Suit Alleges False Claims on Dial Complete Handsoap

St. Louis woman Michelle Carter alleges that a misleading ad campaign convinced her to give Dial's Complete Foaming Antibacterial Hand Wash a try.​A St. Louis woman filed suit in federal court Friday -- alleging that the Dial Corporation made "false and misleading" claims while selling her its foa ... More >>

St. Louis Ranked Eighth Most Toxic City

​A report out yesterday ranks metropolitan St. Louis as one of the most "toxic" (i.e. polluted) cities in the nation. The study by Forbes.com looked at cities based on five factors: air quality, water quality, the number of nearby Superfund sites, amount of days when the air-quality index (AQI) ex ... More >>

It's All Over: Hello, Fall

She's alone in the new pollution...​Even though it's been soupy-hot for the last few days, and should be again tomorrow, summer is officially over as of today. And if you commute on I-64, you've seen a very clear sign of fall -- or rather, the lack of a sign.The St. Louis Science Center's walkway ... More >>

Oh Crap: Millions of Gallons of Raw Sewage Leaking Into Mississippi River South of St. Louis?

Ready for some crappy news? The Missouri Department of Natural Resources just sent out a news release informing the public that raw sewage has been flowing into the Mississippi River at a rate of up to 4.6 million gallons per day since June 24. The spill is reportedly the result of a mechanical fail ... More >>

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