The first book on the St. Louis baby tooth study, during which St. Louis citizens and scientists worked together to provide data that nuclear fallout is a serious health concern.

From 1958 to 1973, scientists at Washington University and citizens in St. Louis collected more than 320,000 baby teeth and tested them for levels of Strontium-90, a radioactive isotope found only in atomic bomb explosions. Results showed an enormous buildup of fallout in children’s bodies. Ongoing tests helped speed the passage of a treaty outlawing all above-ground nuclear tests, saving countless lives around the world. The baby tooth study was a landmark in citizen-scientist collaboration. Scientists shared their findings in approachable language so that everyday citizens could understand the science behind radioactive fallout and the dangers it might pose to human health. 

Although above-ground tests have largely ceased, aging nuclear power plants across the country continue to emit dangerous isotopes—including Sr-90—into the environment. Once again, citizens, scientists, and even celebrities such as Alec Baldwin and Christie Brinkley are raising concerns about the effects of nuclear fallout and urging leaders to take action to mitigate its consequences. More recent tooth-collection and -testing efforts from Long Island to Florida have found that children born in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when nuclear reactors were at their peak, have higher rates of cancer. Meanwhile, new technology has enabled more accurate testing of teeth collected decades ago in St. Louis so that scientists can determine if those donors’ later-life health outcomes were affected by nuclear weapons testing. 

Recent efforts by the United States, Russia, and China to prepare sites for potential bomb testing give the book—and the tooth study—current relevance. In late 2025, President Donald Trump suggested resuming above-ground tests, leading to renewed fears of nuclear fallout and its effects on public health. Time will tell if the lessons learned from the baby tooth study will result in reduced threats of nuclear weapons and reactors—and a healthier society.