Several months after the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act was expanded in July to include 21 Missouri ZIP codes, the U.S. Department of Justice reports that $8.57 million in claims have been approved for people affected by Manhattan Project waste contamination.
So far, at least 176 claims have been approved across Missouri, Kentucky, Alaska, and Tennessee. The act offers compensation to current and former residents who developed cancers or other illnesses linked to radioactive waste from U.S. nuclear weapons testing, uranium mining, or Manhattan Project byproducts.
The RECA program, which expired in June 2024, was revived and expanded in July through efforts led by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. The expansion added 21 ZIP codes in St. Louis, St. Louis County, and St. Charles County. A Metro East ZIP code containing a former uranium and thorium processing site was not included…