Nearly 30 years after Times Beach, Mo., was evacuated in one of the nation's most notorious environmental disasters, scientists with the Environmental Protection Agency are returning to the site for a new round of soil sampling.
Spokesperson Chris Whitley said Monday that EPA expect the examination to confirm that the Times Beach site, now Route 66 State Park, is free of concerning levels of dioxin. But the study using more sophisticated technology is expected to give EPA a better understanding of dioxin, and knowledge that can be used for any future contamination sites.
Times Beach was shut down in the 1980s after a contractor hired to keep dust down on the roads sprayed oil contaminated with dioxin, a highly toxic chemical that can cause cancer and other serious diseases.
