![]() Many industrial, commercial and residential properties sat abandoned. ![]() Census, with 25% living below the poverty line and an unemployment rate of 10%. At that time, the Arkwright and Forest Park communities were 96% African American, according to the 2000 U.S. Throughout the early years of ReGenesis, Mitchell says he began to better understand that social, economic and health issues within the community were inextricably linked. Mitchell’s own sister, he learned, died of sepsis as an infant. Other residents reported unusually high cases of other cancers, miscarriages and stillborn births. Meanwhile, health surveys revealed that 62 people within a one-mile radius in the community died of lung cancer or respiratory disease over a 22-month period. Six brownfield sites have also been identified in the community. Both the plant and landfill were designated as Superfund sites. Between the plant and the landfill, a series of EPA investigations detected 70 contaminants, including mercury and lead, with 30 at levels three times above allowable maximum contamination. In addition to the fertilizer plant, Mitchell grew up down the road from a former landfill.
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