Advocates urge St. Louis residents to apply for radiation compensation before 2027 deadline

The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act was expanded in July to include 21 ZIP codes impacted by atomic waste leftover from the Manhattan Project dumped in different parts of the St. Louis region. The move followed years of advocacy and alarm from residents like Dawn Chapman, co-founder of Just Moms STL, who acted after seeing her neighbors and relatives become sickened with cancers. Since RECA's expansion, the Department of Justice has received more than 11,000 claims and paid out more than $63 million. More people are still applying, but their cases and medical conditions can be complex. Many have found aid from Brent Trout, manager of the St. Louis County Library’s history and genealogy department. Trout and Chapman discuss the challenges of applying to RECA, why records like yearbooks can be critical evidence, and why advocates are encouraging people to apply before the program’s deadline in 2027.