They remember the late 80s and early 90s, when they drank and bathed in poisoned water from wells they thought were safe. They developed skin rashes, stomach problems and diarrhea. Showers itched and burned. Then spouses and neighbors started getting cancer. When the talk turns to death, everyone speaks at once.
Fingers point around the room as they cast about to name the casualties.
She didn't last long. The voice of Harry O. Martin comes to us from his grave. For five years, he had complained to South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control that a nearby company was dumping hazardous waste into the water, says his lawyer, Marcus Whitlark. Then doctors diagnosed Martin with pancreatic cancer. He hired a lawyer, filed a lawsuit in 1992 but died a few months later.