Warren County, North Carolina's toxic landfill was the result of environmental racism.
In 1978, Ward Transformer Company began dumping toxic waste on North Carolina's roads and highways, which contained hazardous chemicals that polluted its lakes, groundwater, and farmland, all which caused a number of cancers, birth defects and liver problems, just to name a few. The state of North Carolina decided to displace this toxic waste into the impoverished area of Warren County, North Carolina, which was once the site of tobacco and cotton plantations and now home to a predominantly black (65%) population and where 40% of the county's households lacked indoor plumbing (according to 1970 census). After decades of protests from the NAACP and the residents facing disease and poisoning from contaminated air/water, the county did not become "safe" until 2004. The environmental consequences that were held in Warren County made it known that race was the most significant factor in determining where hazardous waste facilities would be placed. Systemic racism played a role in Warren County's toxic landfill.