Years of toxic waste dumping in Toms River, New Jersey, linked to elevated childhood cancer rates, caused at least $1 billion in environmental damage, according to the advocacy group Save Barnegat Bay. The group, along with the township of Toms River, is suing to overturn a settlement between the state and BASF, the corporate successor to Ciba-Geigy Chemical Corporation.
Settlement Deemed Insufficient
The current settlement requires BASF to pay $500,000 and undertake nine environmental remediation projects at the site of the former Ciba-Geigy plant. Save Barnegat Bay argues this resolution is grossly inadequate, failing to address the extensive harm caused by decades of chemical discharges into the Toms River and surrounding areas.
“Ciba-Geigy’s discharges devastated the natural resources of the Toms River and Barnegat Bay,” said Michele Donato, attorney for Save Barnegat Bay. “The DEP failed to evaluate decades of evidence, including reports of dead fish, discolored waters, and toxic effluent, that exist in its own archived files.”
Evidence of Long-Term Environmental Damage
Documents dating back to 1958 detail severe ecological impacts, including fish kills, discolored water, and oxygen depletion caused by the company’s dumping practices. A study commissioned by Ciba-Geigy revealed a three-dimensional plume of contaminated groundwater that requires a more comprehensive assessment than the methods used by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
An accurate damage assessment, according to Save Barnegat Bay, would exceed $1 billion.
Health Impacts and Historical Context
Starting in the 1950s, Ciba-Geigy, then Toms River’s largest employer, buried 47,000 drums of toxic waste and discharged chemicals into the river and Atlantic Ocean. The resulting pollution created a toxic plume that spread into residential neighborhoods.
Between 1979 and 1995, 87 children in Toms River were diagnosed with cancer. A state health study found significantly elevated rates of childhood cancers, particularly leukemia in girls, compared to statewide rates. While the study did not explicitly attribute these rates to Ciba-Geigy’s dumping, the company paid $13.2 million to 69 families of affected children as part of a settlement.
Ongoing Cleanup and BASF’s Commitment
To date, Ciba-Geigy and its successors have paid over $300 million for cleanup efforts. BASF, the corporate successor, has committed to maintaining nine projects for 20 years under the settlement, including wetland restoration, walking trails, and an environmental education center.
However, critics argue these efforts fall short of compensating the community for decades of environmental and health damage.
