KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Workers at the now-closed Bannister Federal Complex were exposed to toxic chemicals while the plant was in operation, which may have caused severe illnesses and even death.
Now, more than 700 workers said they are having a hard time getting workman's compensation as they fight severe disease or rare forms of cancer, according to the Coalition Against Contamination.
"I've helped people file their claims. It's a very frustrating process," said Maxine Pennington, who was a chemist at the Honeywell plant at the Bannister Federal Complex for 32 years. "It seems the process is to discourage them by denying them first."
EPA records showthere was a toxic spill of promethium 147 discovered in 1989 that had been undiscovered for years. This would not only have exposed Honeywelll employees but also the IRS and GSA workers that shared the site.
Maurice Copeland, who was a manager at the plant, said they made all the parts used in nuclear bombs and that uranium was at the plant.
"We built the skins, the shells, the fire sets," said Copeland.
However, he said they did not know all of the chemicals and elements they were being exposed to. And often times safety measures were not taken, nor personal protective gear provided.
"Certain particles or particulars you can only get at the DOE site. It's hard to get them anywhere else," said Walter Smith, who is an interviewer for Building Trades National Medical Screening Program.
Smith is currently looking for at least 15,000 workers who may have been contaminated when they were working. He will offer them free screenings.
"It will give preventative maintenance, it'll tell you if you're sick. It will tell you the help you need," said Smith.
The complex is in the process of being sold to the Bannister Transformation and Development LLC.
Those who are paying the price of contamination hope containment of the chemicals manufactured for decades will be a key part of the demolition process.
"It's a given, all the toxic substances there. They need to be contained during the cleanup," said Pennington.
Clean up could start before 2018.
