High Levels of Benzene Found at Bridgeton Landfill
BRIDGETON (AP) - Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster has asked a St. Louis County judge to intervene in a simmering legal dispute after high levels of a cancer-causing chemical were detected at the troubled Bridgeton Landfill.
The attorney general filed an injunction Monday in St. Louis County Circuit Court against landfill owner Republic Services that seeks "more aggressive landfill management" by the company as well as more money to pay for state environmental tests.
The request comes after a weekend inspection by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources found elevated levels of benzene at the site near Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. Koster said the company hasn't adequately responded to previous court orders related to the smoldering landfill.
A spokesman for the landfill owner says its own tests showed normal levels of benzene.