Toms River’s Environmental Legacy Offers a Cautionary Tale

Mike Schneider, NJ Today Managing Editor | March 29, 2013 10:52 AM

More than 20 years ago, Toms River made headlines when a local cancer epidemic was linked to chemical waste. It’s a story told by award-winning journalist Dan Fagin in his new book “Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation.”

NJ Today Managing Editor Mike Schneider sat down with Fagin to discuss the legacy of Toms River and the lessons learned about the relationship between cancer and the environment. The story begins, according to Fagin, in the 1950s when Swiss-based chemical company Ciba built a dye plant in Toms River after experiencing a century of difficulties elsewhere. In the 1990s, some residents noticed a growing number of children with cancer in the Toms River area. Fagin said people began asking questions, but were repeatedly told not to worry about it.