Many years have passed since the drinking water wells in Woburn, Massachusetts were contaminated. In one sense, the tragedy stands as a singular event in the history of our nation. In an average middle class town, seven children died from leukemia due to toxic chemicals in their drinking water. Lives forever lost. A community forever scarred.
People get sick and die.
Corporation denies the problem as long as possible, using its money to outlast desperate families seeking justice. When loss of the court case looks likely, corporation settles for an undisclosed sum in exchange for silence and a waiver of future liability. This script has been repeated over the years in Love Canal, Bhopal, and in the bodies of DES daughters. Corporation names differ, but the outcomes are similar. Human lives are just the cost of doing business.