From the Darkroom: Cleanup of dioxin contamination at Aurora farm

Officials supervise cleanup efforts after an incident of dioxin contamination at James Denny Farm in Aurora, Missouri.

Dioxin is a highly toxic pollutant that adheres to organic material such as plant matter and animal fat. It is known to cause birth defects, cancer and other harmful conditions in humans.

Photographer Hyler Cooper was denied entrance to the site, so the photographer used a telephoto lens and shot through a chain link fence surrounding the site contaminated with dioxin.

One of the most notorious uses of dioxin was as a component of Agent Orange, an herbicide which was weaponized by the United States military during the Vietnam War, to disastrous effect.

In 1982, the Environmental Protection Agency uncovered the largest civilian exposure to dioxin in American history at Times Beach, Missouri, near Eureka. This resulted in the relocation of 2,000 residents. Times Beach has since been disincorporated, decontaminated and converted into Route 66 State Park.

This image is presented in partnership between the Springfield-Greene County Library District and the Springfield News-Leader. For more historical images of the Ozarks, visit thelibrary.org/fromthedarkroom

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Dioxin is heavily toxic and known to cause severe health problems