The waste that was dumped is filled with some of the most toxic, cancer-causing chemicals known to man. In places, one sees cattle and other animals that have become trapped in the poisonous black muck and asphyxiated. The indigenous tribes in the region once looked to the fertile rivers for their food supplies. Those rivers are now dead. Many who remain suffer from a pre-cancerous dermatological disease.
Women report a marked increase in spontaneous abortions.
In some villages, the number of cancer cases already far exceeds the expected norms. Those who are left of the indigenous tribes who had inhabited the area for centuries are suing Texaco for the loss of their way of life and the endangerment of their health, as well as for the cost of their medical treatment and the clean up of their vast lands. During the years of Texaco's exploitation, disease and forced migration reduced one tribe's population from 15,000 to few hundred. If Chevron takes over Texaco, it will be assuming a financial and public-relations nightmare. Like Exxon, Texaco will have to answer for its actions in a court of law.