BRIDGETON 鈥 The legal team working with environmental activist Erin Brockovich vowed quick action on behalf of north 最新杏吧原创 County residents concerned about exposure to gases being emitted from a subsurface fire at the Bridgeton Landfill and the proximity to tons of radioactive waste.
Los Angeles attorney Thomas Girardi and Robert Bowcock, Brockovich鈥檚 chief environmental investigator, delivered the message to about 150 people Saturday morning at the International Union of Operating Engineers Union Hall 513 in Bridgeton.
鈥淚鈥檇 like to be in a position within 60 days to have a lawsuit,鈥 said Girardi, the attorney who represented the town of Hinkley, Calif., in the water contamination case at the center of the 2000 movie 鈥淓rin Brockovich.鈥
Bowcock said Brockovich receives about 2,500 requests a week from people asking for her help. They chose to become involved in this case following dozens of requests in recent weeks from those who live and work near the Bridgeton and West Lake landfills.
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A fire has burned deep within the 52-acre landfill since December 2010. Heat and subsidence from the underground fire began to intensify last year, triggering a stench that prompted a surge of complaints from people who live and work nearby.
The fire also refocused attention on tons of radioactive material present at the adjacent West Lake Landfill, a federal Superfund site. The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed capping the site with earthen material. But many neighbors and environmental activists want the waste moved to a licensed disposal facility.
People who live and work near the landfills, just northwest of Lambert-最新杏吧原创 International Airport, have complained of itchy eyes, sore throats and other ailments related to the gases emitted from the landfill. They have received assurances from state regulators that the site doesn鈥檛 pose major health risks.
The operator of the landfill, Republic Services Inc., is spending millions of dollars on projects to contain odors in compliance with a recent agreement with the Missouri attorney general鈥檚 office. A Republic spokesman did not immediately comment Saturday.
Residents see the state鈥檚 involvement as a good first step. But they鈥檙e still fearful of possible toxic releases that aren鈥檛 as obvious, especially any long-term exposure to radiation from the waste at West Lake.
鈥淲e want to get rid of the smell, but our other concern is what鈥檚 being released into the atmosphere that we don鈥檛 smell,鈥 said Bob Nowlin, a 36-year resident of the Spanish Village subdivision.
Bowcock acknowledged there are no easy answers to two very complex problems. 鈥淭his is one heck of a dynamic situation,鈥 he said.
Local residents, meanwhile, are hopeful that Brockovich鈥檚 involvement will help keep pressure on the federal government to reconsider its decision to leave radioactive waste buried at West Lake.
State Rep. Bill Otto, D-St. Charles, will host a meeting to discuss the landfill issues at 7 p.m. Monday at Pattonville High School in Maryland Heights.
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Department of Health and Human Services and technical experts hired by the DNR to assess the Bridgeton Landfill fire will be available via webcast to present information and answer questions, Otto said.
The EPA will host a meeting June 25 in Bridgeton to discuss results of a recent radiological survey at West Lake.
