Feds Test Bridgeton Houses Near Landfill for Radiation

Editor's note 12:35 p.m. on December 28: An Environmental Protection Agency spokesman clarified that while the EPA would like to test dust from inside the home of Michael and Robbin Dailey, they are still working with the couple's attorney to gain access. The original story is below.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday tested homes near the Westlake Landfill for radiation contamination following a lawsuit filed by residents.

The EPA, which isn't named in the suit filed by Michael and Robbin Dailey, planned to focus on the couple's house and surrounding properties in the Spanish Village section of Bridgeton.

The Daileys sued nine companies tied to the landfill in November, alleging they were responsible for radioactive dust found in their home. The dust showed levels of a Uranium byproduct that were 200 times what is normal, according to the suit filed in St. Louis County Court.

"As a public health agency, we take these allegations seriously," EPA Region 7 Administrator Mark Hague said in a statement.

EPA is calling the operation "Bridgeton Dust." Testers planned to collect dust from inside the Dailey's house and surrounding houses along with soil samples from the neighborhood. Officials expect to have preliminary results for homeowners on January 6.

The West Lake Landfill contains nuclear waste and sits next to the Bridgeton Landfill, the site of a smoldering underground fire.

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