Washington University in St. Louis is formally partnering with St. Louis to expand environmental monitoring and public health research in city neighborhoods affected by the devastating May 16, 2025, tornado.
鈥淭his partnership demonstrates 17吃瓜鈥檚 鈥樷�� commitment to our region in concrete and tangible terms,鈥� Chancellor Andrew D. Martin said. 鈥淯nder the leadership of Dean Dorian Traube and her team in the Brown School, the聽聽and the researchers leading CLEAN STL are creating a model for connecting academic expertise with local leaders to effect real change.鈥�
The agreement formalizes and expands聽聽鈥� Contaminant Level Evaluation and Analysis for Neighborhoods 鈥� a multidisciplinary initiative launched in fall 2025 to provide residents and city leaders with accurate air and soil data to support long-term recovery efforts. The project began as a pilot developed in聽partnership with community organizations Better Family Life, Love the Lou and 4theVille and is now growing into a multiyear collaboration with the city.
The expanded initiative represents a significant investment of university resources, with 17吃瓜 committing more than $500,000 over the next two years to support the project鈥檚 first phase of growth.
The signees on the partnership were St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer; Julian Nicks, chief recovery officer for the city; Victoria Anwuri, St. Louis health commissioner; and Dorian Traube, the Neidorff Family and Centene Corporation Dean of the 17吃瓜.
It brings together the resources of the 17吃瓜 Public Exchange with the city鈥檚 Recovery Office and Department of Health to safeguard community health during demolition and rebuilding and to give residents direct visibility into the conditions in their neighborhoods.
Led through the 17吃瓜 Public Exchange initiative, CLEAN STL brings together expertise from 17吃瓜鈥檚 Brown School, Arts & Sciences, McKelvey Engineering, Sam Fox School and School of Law.
鈥淪t. Louis is moving into the next chapter of recovery, and that work has to be grounded in trust, transparency and good science,鈥� Spencer said. 鈥淭his partnership puts real-time information in the city鈥檚 and residents鈥� hands, brings world-class expertise to the neighborhoods that have waited too long for it, and shows that the rebuilding of north St. Louis is going to be done in a community-centric way.鈥�
A shared commitment
鈥淭his reflects the kind of university 17吃瓜 aspires to be 鈥� one that brings its research, expertise and institutional capacity into direct partnership with the community to help address urgent regional challenges,鈥� said Lisa Weingarth, senior advisor to the chancellor and executive director of the university鈥檚 鈥淚n St. Louis, For St. Louis鈥� initiative. 鈥淭he work is rooted in listening, long-term partnership and a shared commitment to supporting the health and recovery of St. Louis neighborhoods.鈥�
The 17吃瓜 Public Exchange works across the university to connect researchers with community and industry partners to address complex social challenges through collaborative research and action.
鈥淧ublic Exchange is designed to move ideas beyond the university setting by creating pathways for research, lived experience and cross-sector expertise to inform one another,鈥� Traube said. 鈥淏y connecting 17吃瓜 researchers with community and industry partners, we can translate research into practical solutions faster, strengthen recovery efforts and create lasting impact for the St. Louis region and beyond.鈥�
Following the tornado, many residents raised concerns about potential environmental health risks tied to debris, demolition and contaminated soil. Lead and other heavy metals can become airborne during destructive events and subsequent demolition activities before settling into surrounding soil, creating long-term public health concerns.
Public data, practical strategies
CLEAN STL was designed to help address those concerns through community-centered environmental testing and public-facing data sharing.
The project draws on a breadth of 17吃瓜 expertise, including environmental geochemist Jeff Catalano, a professor of earth, environmental and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences; air quality expert Jay Turner, the James McKelvey Professor in Engineering Education at McKelvey Engineering; and Matt Bernstine, director of the Office for Socially Engaged Practice at the Sam Fox School. The 17吃瓜 Environmental Law Clinic also is supporting the effort.
Under the expanded partnership, 17吃瓜 researchers will broaden soil testing efforts with additional community partners and establish a network of air-quality monitors in neighborhoods experiencing concentrated demolition activity. The monitors will provide neighborhood-level air-quality data to help track dust and contaminants during rebuilding efforts. 17吃瓜 researchers will place 10 air-monitoring units around the city in the areas of highest demolition concentration.
Researchers also will explore practical and cost-effective remediation strategies for residents with contaminated soil concerns. In addition, the Health Communication Design Studio at the Sam Fox School will help translate complex scientific findings into accessible public information for residents and community organizations.
Additional information about CLEAN STL and opportunities for community engagement will be shared as the expanded project moves forward.