ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Missouri’s US senators are demanding answers after workers and a childcare facility were exposed to contaminants including asbestos, lead, mercury, arsenic at the Goodfellow Federal Center. The contamination was widespread and longstanding. Officials also deliberately misled people about the health risks associated with being in the building.
The Goodfellow Federal Center is a 23-building campus on 62.5 acres in north St. Louis. Many of the buildings there were built in 1941 and it functioned as an Army ammunition plant to support World War II. The Army transferred ownership to the General Services Administration in 1966 and it was then renovated the campus into a suburban office park.
A whistleblower alerted investigators about the toxic contamination. A report from the U.S. Office of Special Counsel posted on November 5, 2022 details the failed efforts to mitigate exposure to toxic contaminants that put employees and children at risk. They alerted the president and congress about the ongoing issue.
“I would like to thank the whistleblower for their courage in revealing widespread environmental contamination and years of exposure to hazardous materials,” writes Special Counsel Henry J. Kerner. “Officials had been aware of these conditions but downplayed the risk, discounting expert guidance and advice, rather than taking appropriate corrective action. While I applaud the agency’s actions to close the Goodfellow complex, I strongly encourage the agency to...
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