Picher Oklahoma toxic town

NBC explores 'toxic town'; residents paid to pack and leave

Picher, Oklahoma. Twenty-five years from now, few will even remember it existed.
Surrounded on all sides by toxic mining gravel, its residents plagued by cancer and birth defects, the very ground that once supported busy roads crumbling under-foot, the U.S. government four years ago began buying residents out of their homes, if only they'd go elsewhere.

Soon, the town's electricity will be disconnected, leaving a mere few stragglers behind in what was once a picture of the American dream.

NBC correspondent Janet Shamlain visited recently and explored the town, taking time to speak with one of its final holdouts.

The story is a tragic example of how a lack of care for one's environment can literally destroy a place and the lives of many who inhabit it.

-- Stephen C. Webster

This video is from NBC News, broadcast Sunday, Sept 6, 2009.
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NBC explores toxic town