Lambert-St. Louis Air National Guard Base

Lambert-St. Louis Air National Guard Base is a Missouri Air National Guard installation located on the west side of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, near Hazelwood, roughly 20 miles northwest of downtown St. Louis. For decades it served as home to the Missouri Air National Guard's 131st Wing, a unit whose lineage traces back to the 110th Aero Squadron organized in 1917 and the 110th Observation Squadron re-established in 1923. Over the years the wing flew reconnaissance and fighter aircraft and was mobilized for overseas duty, including a deployment to France during the 1961 Berlin Crisis. The 131st was later reorganized as the 131st Bomb Wing and reassigned to Whiteman Air Force Base, where it flies the B-2 Spirit. The Lambert site reflects the long history of aviation operations, fueling, and maintenance activities common to airfield installations.

As with many aging military airfields, the support equipment used to store fuels, oils, and cleaning agents at Lambert has been associated with concerns about potential soil and groundwater contamination. State environmental records document that the site at one time contained an oil and water separator, an above-ground tank holding waste oil, an above-ground tank holding a solvent, and an underground storage tank used to store detergent. These structures have since been removed, but Missouri regulators have noted that they remain of concern.

1. Waste oil and related petroleum products. Waste oil was among the materials stored at the installation, and petroleum products are commonly handled to support aircraft operations and maintenance. Leaks, spills, and routine handling around storage tanks and separators can leave petroleum residues in soil and groundwater, and exposure to fuel constituents such as benzene has been associated in some studies with a range of health concerns. State records specifically note the past presence of an above-ground waste oil tank at the site.
2. Solvents. An above-ground solvent tank was among the structures documented at the base, consistent with the degreasing and parts-cleaning work typical of aircraft maintenance. Available records do not identify the specific solvent by name. Chlorinated solvents were widely used for such purposes at military airfields, and concerns about potential exposure to solvents in soil or groundwater have been raised at installations across the country.
3. Detergents and cleaning residues. An underground storage tank at the site was used to hold detergent, and an oil and water separator was present as well. Cleaning agents and the residues captured in separators can carry oils and other constituents, and their removal does not always eliminate residual material in the surrounding ground, which is why such locations continue to be tracked.

The Lambert-St. Louis Air National Guard site is not listed on the National Priorities List. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has assigned it a status of No Further Remedial Action Planned, meaning it does not qualify for the federal Superfund list based on existing information. Oversight of the documented oil, solvent, and detergent residues has fallen under state and Department of Defense environmental programs, with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources noting that the removed tanks and separator remain of concern.

Veterans, civilian workers, and family members who spent time at this installation may wish to stay informed as environmental reviews continue. Anyone with questions about possible exposures and related health matters is encouraged to speak with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which can provide current guidance on benefits, screenings, and eligibility.