Were it not for the nearby rivers, St. Louis probably wouldn’t be the major metropolitan area that it is today. The Mississippi River flows past the city to the east, the Missouri-Mississippi confluence is to the north, the River Des Peres is toward the city’s southern border and the Meramec River forms the county’s southern border. Given the expanse of those rivers, you’d be forgiven if you didn’t notice Coldwater Creek, a stream that heads north from St. Louis Airport and through northern St. Louis County before draining into the Missouri River.

But area residents say that little stream has caused big problems in their lives.

In late February, 13 of the creek’s past and current neighbors filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. In the suit, the plaintiffs allege that for years they were exposed to hazardous materials which were allowed to contaminate the creek, as well as the nearby air and soil. They are suing 15 corporations which were, in various ways, allegedly involved in the manufacturing, processing, storage, handling or disposal of this hazardous waste.

The plaintiffs have suffered a variety of serious health issues over the years. The list of illnesses mentioned in the complaint is cringe-worthy:

• Stage III Glioma (brain cancer)

• Ovarian cancer and tumors

• Throat and neck cancer, including squamous cell carcinoma (cancer) of the throat

• Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

• Cervical cancer

• Breast cancer

• Kidney cancer

• Prostate cancer

• Ewing Sarcoma

• Pancreatic cancer

• Gastrointestinal stromal tumor

• Lung cancer

• Colon cancer

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