A county in Missouri has been deemed a 'cancer cluster' due to World War II-era radium used in America's atomic bomb efforts littering the region.
For decades, residents of St Louis County have raised concerns about a spike in cancer diagnosis - and specifically those living just outside the West Lake Landfill.
The landfill has held thousands of tons of radioactive waste and contaminated soil since 1973 when drums containing the chemicals were illegally dumped by a contractor for the Cotter Corporation.
The state launched a cleanup for the site this year, revealing Monday that discovered the toxins have contaminated nearby groundwater in Bridgeton that sits northwest of the St Louise Lambert International Airport.