What a Perfect Place for Spring Break

Despite the flooding issues (and the President describing Missouri as a major disaster), Missouri is probably a fun spring break destination.

Times Beach, Missouri - sounds like a nice little town right? There's probably a nice beach along the Meramec River where everyone can play around, soak up some sun, and absorb all that dioxin from the soil. Virtually forgotten about now, Times Beach was the site of a terrible dioxin dumping problem.

Although Russell Bliss (the man responsible for the problem) and Northeastern Pharmaceutical and Chemical Company (NEPACCO) never got charged with anything regarding Times Beach, they are definitely to blame. The chemical company used to produce Agent Orange during the Vietnam war, the production of which leaves behind clay and other by-products even more rich in dioxin the Agent Orange itself. Here's where Bliss comes in. He used to help eliminate dust problems in horse stables by spraying used oil on the ground. Nowadays we understand how detrimental to an animal's health that could be, but imagine if it were worse. What if Bliss mixed waste from NEPACCO with the oil? And then was contracted to help keep dust down on the unpaved roads in town? That is, in fact, what happened.

Later, people from the town would recall how the dirt would turn purple after Bliss' upkeep, and the dozens of dead and rabid animals that popped up around the same time. The CDC started to investigate the dead horses from the stables where Bliss was working, and got an employee of the chemical company to admit to their (now illegal) way of disposing of the toxic waste. The government then sued the chemical company in 1980. The EPA began to investigate and take soil samples. Meanwhile many people were getting sick and dying, most likely of forms of cancer and autoimmune diseases characterized by a high white blood cell count.

In December of 1982, following flooding that had already evacuated most of the approximately 2500 people of Times Beach, the EPA publicly announced that the levels of Dioxin were harmful to life in the area. This not only caused panic in the town, but also prompted Regan to establish a Dioxin task force to investigate the town further. In late February of '83, the EPA announced that it would buy the town for around $32 million.

By 1985, everyone (but one elderly couple) was evacuated from the town. Because of all the rumors circulating Dioxin, the former residents of Times Beach were shunned in their new communities. They still were paying mortgages on their unlivable houses and barely being able to get by. Despite the government buying the town, they did not help the former residents with bills, medical issues, or anything. Many of the townspeople sued the chemical company, Bliss, and others in the wrong, but Bliss and the others never were formally charged with any wrong doing.

Finally in 1996-97, Syntex, the parent company of NEPACCO, did help to foot part of the bill for the cleanup, but only $10 of the $110 million that it cost to incinerate some of the contaminated dirt. For the longest time, there were signs telling drivers to not use air conditioning, heating, and to keep their windows rolled up due to the poison all around.

Now, the former town is the site of the Route 66 State Park. One of the buildings from the town is still standing (Steiny's Inn, built in 1935), and it is now a museum telling the story of Times Beach. It is perfectly fine to visit, according to the government. The park features great hiking, biking, and horse trails.

This town shares an eerie past with another toxic area - Love Canal. I'll post more about that a different day, but just know that both cities' tragedies led to more environmental protection laws, laws that we tend to take for granted today.