Environmental Toxins: Oklahoma Town is Toxic Waste Site

Picher, Oklahoma is in the middle of one of the United States' worst environmental disasters. Children and houses have been lost in cave-ins and sinkholes, the creek in the town runs with orange water, and the air and soil are polluted with lead dust. High lead levels have been found in the blood of local children. Thousands of residents already have left the town over safety concerns and many more are expected to follow suit. However, the residents who remain are tough and plan to stay in Picher. 81-year-old Orval "Hoppy" Ray said of his town's problems: "There's nothing here in this town that can't be fixed. Ninety-nine percent of the people who write about the mines don't know squat about mining. They never wore a hard hat."

Oklahoma Town is Toxic Waste Site

Picher is at the center of the Tar Creek Superfund Site, which also includes some areas of Missouri and Kansas. The area was one of the world's most productive producers of lead and zinc and provided raw materials in both world wars. The mines closed in 1970 and the area has since become one of the largest Superfund cleanup sites in the country.