Cheraw, South Carolina's toxic waste dump was the result of environmental racism.
Up until the 1970's, cancer-causing PCB's (polychlorinated biphenyls), a man-made chemical used as coolants for electrical equipment in factories until they were banned in 1979, were dumped in a creek in Cheraw, South Carolina, a low-income community made up of predominantly black folx, only to be discovered decades later in 2016 after Hurricane Florence hit South Carolina. The PCB's contaminated the water and soil for decades, including that of children's playgrounds, which also resulted in the displacement of five families in 2018 after Hurricane Florence. The EPA has declared Cheraw a Superfund site and have been cleaning up since. Cheraw makes one of the 70% of the country's contaminated waste sites located near low-income housing communities of color most vulnerable to climate change. Systemic racism played a role in the toxic dump brought to Cheraw, South Carolina.