Times Beach is a ghost town in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States, 17 miles (27 km) southwest of St. Louis and 2 miles (3 km) east of Eureka. Once home to more than two thousand people, the town was completely evacuated early in 1983 due to TCDD—also known as dioxin—contamination. It was the largest civilian exposure to the compound in the history of the United States.
In 1985, the State of Missouri officially disincorporated the city of Times Beach. The site of Times Beach now houses a 419-acre (170 ha) state park commemorating U.S. Route 66—the famous highway that stretched from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California, and passed by the community on its southern end—as well as the history of the Times Beach area. The park opened in 1999. In 2001, the EPA removed Times Beach from its Superfund list.
1982Dec, 3
A soil sample is taken from Times Beach, Missouri, that will be found to contain 300 times the safe level of dioxin.
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Events on 1982
- 4May
Falklands War
Twenty sailors are killed when the British Type 42 destroyer HMS Sheffield is hit by an Argentinian Exocet missile during the Falklands War. - 25May
Falklands War
HMS Coventry is sunk during the Falklands War. - 6Jun
Operation Peace for the Galilee
The Lebanon War begins. Forces under Israeli Defense Minister Ariel Sharon invade southern Lebanon during Operation Peace for the Galilee, eventually reaching as far north as the capital Beirut. - 11Sep
1982 Invasion of Lebanon
The international forces that were guaranteeing the safety of Palestinian refugees following Israel's 1982 Invasion of Lebanon leave Beirut. Five days later, several thousand refugees are massacred in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps by Phalange forces. - 14Oct
War on Drugs
U.S. President Ronald Reagan proclaims a War on Drugs.