St. Louis County Health Department to Start Surveying Residents Near Bridgeton Landfill

St. Louis Public Radio

The St. Louis County health department said a health survey of residents living near the West Lake and Bridgeton landfills will begin in about two weeks, a year after its initial announcement.

Director Faisal Khan said the odors coming from an underground fire at Bridgeton Landfill smoldering since 2010 have affected residents’ respiratory health. He said the survey will specifically look for complaints of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and allergies.

Using methodology developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the department will begin surveying households within a two-mile radius of the landfill on Feb. 22, Khan said.

Residents at a community meeting Monday night where Khan made the announcement expressed concern that some people experiencing symptoms will be excluded from the study. Others wondered why the survey area was geographically limited.

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