Toxic Legacy Still Haunts Black St. Louis Blocks, New WashU Report Finds

A new follow-up from Washington University’s Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic lands with a familiar punch: vacancy, illegal dumping, childhood lead exposure and poor air quality are still tightly packed into St. Louis’ majority-Black neighborhoods. The 2026 analysis stacks neighborhood-level data on top of interviews and policy recommendations to trace how those environmental burdens turn into health problems and economic loss. For residents in places like Wells-Goodfellow and Dutchtown, the report feels less like a revelation and more like validation of what community organizers have been saying for years.

WashU publishes a data-forward update

The Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic has released Environmental Racism in St. Louis…

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