After putting her son to bed each night at a hospital in St. Louis, Kim Visintine found herself in the hospital library, searching for answers. Her son, Zack, had been diagnosed with a rare brain tumor called glioblastoma multiforme when he was just a week old. This type of tumor is typically seen in adults over 45, making Zack’s case extremely unusual.
Doctors were surprised by his condition and told Kim it was a one-in-a-million chance. While other parents were learning to change diapers, she was learning how to manage chemotherapy ports and IVs. Despite undergoing treatment, Zack’s prognosis was grim. He passed away at the tender age of six.
Years later, Kim began to wonder if Zack’s illness was part of a larger issue in their community, particularly around Coldwater Creek. Locals have raised concerns about cancer rates in the area, linking them to radiation exposure from the atomic bomb development in the 1940s.
A compensation program, known as the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), was established to assist Americans who developed diseases after being exposed to radiation. However, this program expired last year before it could be extended to the St. Louis area. Before ending, it had paid out $2.6 billion to over 41,000 claimants, mainly in regions like Arizona, Utah, and Nevada. Notably, it did not cover New Mexico, where the first nuclear weapon was tested in 1945.
St. Louis played a significant role in the Manhattan Project, where uranium was refined for the atomic bomb. After the war, waste was dumped near Coldwater Creek, leading to concerns about contamination. Federal investigations later acknowledged an increased cancer risk for children who played in the creek, though they noted that the increase in cases was small and could not be directly linked to specific cancers.
The cleanup of Coldwater Creek is still in progress and is not expected to be completed until 2038. Recently, a new bill has been introduced in the House regarding this issue. Senator Josh Hawley from Missouri has also brought the matter to President Donald Trump’s attention, highlighting the ongoing concerns of residents affected by the legacy of radiation exposure in the area.