Radioactive Waste in St. Louis: History, Exposure, Clean-up, Compensation

Join Christen Commuso of Missouri Coalition for the Environment (MCE) to learn about where and how radioactive nuclear weapons waste ended up in the St. Louis region and about who has been affected and in what ways. She will focus on new coverage under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA). Thanks to Christen's work, anyone with specific diagnoses who lived, worked, or attended school for at least two consecutive years in certain St. Louis-area ZIP codes is now eligible for compensation under the legislation. Christen joined MCE with nearly a decade of experience advocating for the clean-up of Manhattan Project-era radioactive waste in St. Louis. She served on the West Lake Landfill Steering Committee where she helped successfully advocate for a more thorough clean-up of the site. Christen is also the creator and photographer behind “Humans of West Lake Landfill,” a social media project which raises awareness about the human impact of radioactive waste exposure and documents community efforts to restore affected areas. Christen is driven by a passion for protecting natural spaces and human health. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, nature photography and travel.