News | Fox 2 News | November 2025

WashU starts project on tornado-related environmental risks

Following the May 16 tornado, Washington University researchers have launched a new project to assess environmental health concerns in affected communities. It’s more than just physical destruction. Hidden in the debris are environmental risks that could threaten community health in the future.

The university launched a rapid environmental health assessment, the first project under the university’s public exchange initiative called CLEAN STL—Contamination Level Evaluation and Analysis for Neighborhoods.

Condemned homes face demolition, which raises a key issue: what environmental risks are residents facing, from the soil to the air?