Sickened by U.S. nuclear program, communities turn to Congress for help
When Diane Scheig's father, Bill, returned from work at the Mallinckrodt factory in St. Louis, he would undress in their garage and hand his mother his clothes so that she could washes them immediately, not daring to contaminate the house with the residue of his work.
Mr. Scheig, an ironworker who helped build the city's famous arch, never told his family exactly what he did at the plant, where scientists began processing uranium for Manhattan Project in 1942. But by the age of 49, he had developed kidney cancer. , lost the ability to walk and died.
Decades later, Diane's older sister, Sheryle, who years earlier had given birth to a baby boy born with a tumor the size of a softball in his stomach, died of brain and lung cancer at age 54. Her neighbor, two doors down, died of appendix cancer at age 49. So many of his classmates have died of cancer that a large round table covered with their photos is now a fixture at his high school. school reunions.
“I know for myself, I was grateful when I passed the age of 49,” Ms. Scheig said . "And I was grateful when I passed the age of 54."
The Mallinckrodt plant processed the uranium that allowed scientists from the University of Chicago to produce the first artificial reactor. controlled nuclear reaction, paving the way for the first atomic bomb.
But the plant — and the program it served — left another legacy: a scourge of Cancer, autoimmune diseases and other mysterious illnesses have ravaged generations of families like Ms. Scheig's in St. Louis and other communities across the country who have been exposed to materials used to fuel the arms race nuclear weapons.
We are having difficulty retrieving the content of the article.
Please enable JavaScript in the site settings. your browser.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode, please exit and sign in to your Times account, or subscribe to the entire Times.
Thank you for your patience while we let's check access.
Already subscribed? Log in...
When Diane Scheig's father, Bill, returned from work at the Mallinckrodt factory in St. Louis, he would undress in their garage and hand his mother his clothes so that she could washes them immediately, not daring to contaminate the house with the residue of his work.
Mr. Scheig, an ironworker who helped build the city's famous arch, never told his family exactly what he did at the plant, where scientists began processing uranium for Manhattan Project in 1942. But by the age of 49, he had developed kidney cancer. , lost the ability to walk and died.
Decades later, Diane's older sister, Sheryle, who years earlier had given birth to a baby boy born with a tumor the size of a softball in his stomach, died of brain and lung cancer at age 54. Her neighbor, two doors down, died of appendix cancer at age 49. So many of his classmates have died of cancer that a large round table covered with their photos is now a fixture at his high school. school reunions.
“I know for myself, I was grateful when I passed the age of 49,” Ms. Scheig said . "And I was grateful when I passed the age of 54."
The Mallinckrodt plant processed the uranium that allowed scientists from the University of Chicago to produce the first artificial reactor. controlled nuclear reaction, paving the way for the first atomic bomb.
But the plant — and the program it served — left another legacy: a scourge of Cancer, autoimmune diseases and other mysterious illnesses have ravaged generations of families like Ms. Scheig's in St. Louis and other communities across the country who have been exposed to materials used to fuel the arms race nuclear weapons.
We are having difficulty retrieving the content of the article.
Please enable JavaScript in the site settings. your browser.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode, please exit and sign in to your Times account, or subscribe to the entire Times.
Thank you for your patience while we let's check access.
Already subscribed? Log in...
What's Your Reaction?
