To the editor:

During the nearly 40 years that my family has lived in Oakville, we have watched the town develop and progress, but one thing remains fairly unchanged — the Meramec power plant and the toxic coal emissions it discards into the rivers and the air we breathe every day.

I was never aware of this hazard during my time growing up in Oakville, but now that I am studying public health, I am dismayed that it has been silently poisoning our environment and increasing our community’s risk of disease for 60 years.

Along with its outdated equipment and lack of pollution controls comes inefficiency and exposure to harmful contaminants known to cause cancer, respiratory disease, cardiovascular ailments and neurological problems.

We know a lot more today about how these contaminants affect people, animals and the environment compared to when the power plant was built.

State regulations concerning emissions should reflect this increased knowledge, but surprisingly Missouri is not enforcing many safeguards that would protect our health from toxic releases.

There is an urgent need to implement continual monitoring of the air emissions and groundwater at this facility especially before Ameren is approved to build their proposed new landfill at this site.

All Oakville residents deserve the chance to live a full, healthy life without having their well-being jeopardized by a neighboring business.

Kathryn Krueger

Oakville