In the 1950s and 60s, the U.S. Army sprayed a mystery fog over thousands of Americans who lived in a neighborhood in St. Louis. Mothers shut their windows against it, children ran through it.
The Army later admitted the fog contained zinc cadmium sulfide, a chemical that contains cadmium — now a known human carcinogen. But to this day, the Army does not admit harm.
This is part two of our conversation with Dr. Lisa Martino-Taylor, sociologist and author of Behind the Fog. She tells host of “The Truth of the Matter,” Natasha Zouves, why she believes the experiments in St. Louis were part of a larger program spun out of the Manhattan Project — marked by secrecy, deception, and the use of unwitting Americans as test subjects.
Why was St. Louis chosen? What else might have been in that spray? And why does this researcher believe the truth remains buried in classified government documents?
This is one of the darkest, least-known chapters in American history. And the fight for answers is still unfolding.
The Truth of the Matter with Natasha Zouves isn’t just another podcast — it’s a fight to uncover what powerful institutions want hidden. From secret human experiments the government carried out on unsuspecting citizens to toxic cover-ups poisoning communities, Emmy and Murrow Award-winning journalist Natasha Zouves brings you the stories people in power don’t want told.
Each week, we expose evidence buried in archives, amplify the voices of those who’ve been silenced, and hold the powerful accountable. From radioactive “oatmeal experiments” on children, to cancer causing chemicals destroying farms, to veterans erased from history — these are the stories that matter.
This is journalism that refuses to look away. The Truth of the Matter is about transparency, and justice for the people left behind.
Connect with host Natasha Zouves
WATCH the St. Louis investigation part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7_-G_q3wEc&t=1s
WATCH the St. Louis investigation part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upYvUe6hWEk&t=817s
READ the full St. Louis investigation: https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/military/did-government-poison-st-louis/
You can find “The Truth of the Matter” wherever you listen to your podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-truth-of-the-matter-with-natasha-zouves/id1804707066
https://open.spotify.com/show/2iQ85VHlMmBfLBaTtSp8tF
This podcast is put together by:
Ryan Kerr
Mia Balbin-Cuesta
Allie Purser
Natasha Zouves
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