US Spent $33.1M Relocating Times Beach After Severe Dioxin Contamination

The Missouri town of Times Beach was permanently evacuated after dangerous levels of dioxin were discovered in its soil. The toxic chemical had been sprayed on the town's unpaved roads during the 1970s as a dust control measure. A major flood in 1982 intensified fears of widespread contamination spreading beyond the town. The US government spent $33.1 million to relocate all residents away from the affected area. An incinerator was later built to process more than 265,000 tons of contaminated material from the site.