There are 1,300 areas of land across the country that are hazardous because they’ve been contaminated with toxins and other waste, and they are designated as high-priority cleanup sites by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. One of these so-called Superfund sites is 30 acres of desolate land in the heart of Uniontown, Ohio, that no one can use because a toxic stew of nearly 100 deadly contaminants festers beneath its surface.
Yanick Rice Lamb’s new report for the Center for Public Integrity and Belt Magazine examines how the site was contaminated by rubber factories, how it has been mishandled by all levels of government, and how local residents continue to fight for accountability and justice.