Pincer, Oklahoma: The once-thriving town facing demolition after decades of mining created toxic land full of acid water and sink holes

The federal government has slowly been demolishing the erstwhile mining town of Pincer, Oklahoma, after decades of aggressive mining left the area one of the most toxic in the nation.

In 2009, residents were given checks from the federal government so they could relocate from the crumbling town, though a resolute resident or two stayed behind.

The slow exodus began in 1983 when the Environmental Protection Agency declared it the most hazardous Superfund site in America.

People were given the harrowing choice – leave, or sacrifice your health.

A report released in the 1990s showed that a third of the town’s children were found to have elevated levels of lead in their blood.

Teachers realised their students were slow, not because of their intellect, but because of the pollutants in the water.

For decades, before Picher became a town, miners carved miles of tunnels under its land, and the bounty of lead ore they recovered made bullets for both world wars. Read More