STANLY COUNTY, N.C. (FOX 46 CHARLOTTE) -- The Alcoa plant in Badin shuttered its operation in 2007 after almost a century of producing aluminum.
Some former workers, who still live in West Badin, say they suffered working under hazardous conditions are still suffering because of the waste sites in their community.
Valerie Tyson worked at Alcoa from 1976 until 2003 and described her attire while on the job, near open flames.
"I had three sets of clothes on, four pairs of socks, and this thing that came over my face made of wire. And you know when it gets hot metal burns you. I was scared to death."
Tyson says her father, also a former Alcoa employee, suffered from mesothelioma due to exposure at Alcoa.
While Tyson has never been ill from exposure to chemicals, her former co-worker, Richard Leak, says his asbestosis is tied to being employed at Alcoa for 32 years. Leak says the chemicals from the waste he dumped contained asbestos and fluoride which, according to what he was told, causes cancer. He also said his job as a potliner burnt his skin, caused holes to form and the smell of copper gave everything a sweet taste.
Leak did receive a workers compensation settlement from Alcoa but is pained over what his west Badin community, a predominantly black area, was exposed to. He claims the dangerous byproducts "came out smokestacks" and "reactors at night."
As for his own health he's stopped going to the doctor he doesn't want to know what it is doing to him saying, "if I'm going to die let me die."
Leak and Tyson are the two most prominent voices in the Concerned Citizens of West Badin, a group formed in 2013 by another former Alcoa employee, Macy Hinson. The organization began with approximately 25 people but has dwindled down to the three who continue to fight for Alcoa to clean up the waste sites.
Tyson wants justice and feels Alcoa has never been punished. Mr. Hinson feels Alcoa has the money to fix the problem yet is ignoring their community.
And Leak says, "Alcoa wasn't that good Samaritan they thought they were, Alcoa was killing them and killing them slowly. We want the kids of those who have died and went on to know why their grandfathers and grandmothers are dead and gone."
Alcoa provided this statement:
“Alcoa is committed to fulfilling our environmental responsibilities in the Badin community. We have investigated and worked to resolve all waste sites associated with our former manufacturing operation to protect both the environment and human health. We have done everything we’ve been asked to do, and we are making good progress. Also, we will continue working with the state on groundwater and stormwater issues near Badin Lake to ensure full compliance with all of our permits."
Also, Alcoa said the company doesn’t have any waste sites in West Badin associated with its operations, although the company said it did find evidence of illegal dumping on Alcoa’s property near the former Wastewater Treatment facility.
Alcoa said an environmental consulting firm assessed the site and found evidence of household waste, building debris, automotive waste, etc. Alcoa said it excavated and removed the waste and impacted soils and took steps to prevent illegal dumping at the property.
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