STL MOMS

WHO ARE THEY?

Dawn Chapman

Co-founder of Just Moms STL

Dawn Chapman and Karen Nickel are community activists from St. Louis, Missouri, and co-founders of Just Moms STL, a nonprofit organization established in March 2013. Both women are mothers who live near the West Lake Landfill in Bridgeton, a site that contains radioactive waste from the Manhattan Project. They became involved after learning about the landfill’s contamination and the potential health risks it posed to nearby residents.

Karen Nickel

Co-founder of Just Moms STL

WHAT IS JUST MOMS STL?

-Just Moms STL is a nonprofit group dedicated to educating the St. Louis community about local radioactive waste sites left over from the Manhattan Project, as well as the resulting health impacts.

-STL moms and other local groups are working together toward one common goal: finding a safe and permanent solution to the harmful materials in our Communities.

-They aim to spread the word and inform others about the issue in order to raise awareness and prevent it from worsening. They're dedicated to protecting the families and future generations from further exposures to radioactive and toxic waste in the St. Louis area.

Effects of the Landfill

Physical Effect:

Auto-immune Diseases

-Karen was diagnosed with Lupus

-neighbors developed respiratory diseases

Cancers

-neighbors and childhood friends developed or died from brain, appendix, stomach, lung, salivary gland cancers, and different types of leukemia

Other Health Concerns

-neighbors developed chronic nosebleeds

-some neighbors noticed hair loss

-Karen's sister developed cysts on her ovaries

Emotional Effects:

Not being able to sell their homes and leave

-because of contamination, prices of homes dropped causing them to have to stay and deal with the consequences

watching their families and friends suffer

-dealing with the suffering and loss of family and friends causes an emotional strain and feeling of hopelessness

waiting for answers

-no one wants to help them get out of this situation, so they are stuck either waiting for someone to do something to help them, or the ticking time bomb of the underground fire to hit

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

As of recently, Just Moms STL is still actively working to bring awareness and justice to the areas and individuals affected by radioactive material. However, the Just Moms STL group had been advocating for the St. Louis area to be included in the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA). The purpose of RECA is to provide proper compensaton to individuals who have recived forms of diseases and cancers due to radiation effects. In result of the constant advocation from the Just moms STL group, the RECA expansion passed and was signed into law on July 4, 2025. This allows residents from 21 Missouri ZIP codes, including the STL region, to possibly receive compensation for harmful radiation effects. In addition, pre-excavating sampling of West Lake Landfill begun on July 21, 2025. This work will help to confirm and provide more information about the extent of the radioactive material that is present in the West Lake Landfill.

EPA INVOLVEMENT

2013-2015: Just Moms STL start building awareness, organizing community meetings, and demanding action from the EPA to remove the Manhattan Project-era waste

2016: Just Moms STL testifies before Congress and meets with federal officials, pushing for EPA accountability and stronger cleanup measures

2017: The group intensifies lobbying efforts, emphasizing health concerns and strongly opposing the EPA's "cap-in-place" approach

Feb. 2018: The EPA issues its cleanup plan > Excavate about 70% of radioactive material and install an engineered cover over the rest

2019-2022: Just Moms STL continues watchdog efforts, pressing the EPA for transparency in sampling, excavation design, and long-term health protections for nearby communities

2023-Present: The group remains active, ensuring that cleanup efforts stay on schedule and advocating for full safety of residents throughout the remediation process

As of now, the EPA has not removed the promised 70% of radioactive waste or installed the cover. The agency has delayed the project, with excavation now projected to begin in 2027.

WORKS CITED

Just Moms STL | Educate. Organize. Empower. (2024, September 22). Just Moms STL. https://justmomsstl.org/

Johnson, Lacy M. “The Fallout.” Guernica, 14 Aug. 2017, www.guernicamag.com/the-fallout/.

“Blog.” Just Moms STL, 20 Aug. 2025, justmomsstl.org/blog/.

Bauer, Will, and Kate Grumke. “Radiation Exposure Funding for Missourians Passes in Reconciliation Bill.” STLPR, STLPR, 10 July 2025, www.stlpr.org/government-politics-issues/2025-07-03/radiation-exposure-funding-for-missourians-passes-in-reconciliation-bill.

Just Moms STL. (n.d.). Give STL Day. from https://www.givestlday.org/organization/Justmomsstl

Friedman, R., & Hannon, K. Recap: Environmental justice with Just Moms STL. ProSPER, Washington University in St. Louis. 9, April. 2021 https://sites.wustl.edu/prosper/recap-environmental-justice-with-just-moms-stl/

“EPA Updates Officials on West Lake Landfill Investigation.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-updates-officials-west-lake-landfill-investigation.

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