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A strange smell hangs over a town, and people quietly learn the same lesson at the same time: when the air burns your eyes, something is wrong. We’re taking you to Avoca, Pennsylvania, where residents say a creosote plant’s emissions matched years of rashes, headaches, coughing, asthma, and later devastating cancer diagnoses. The story isn’t told through gossip or guesses. We track dates, corporate moves, and the moments when “bad luck” starts looking like a pattern.

We walk through how Kerr-McGee operated locally from the 1950s through the 1990s, how the company’s legacy connects to Tronox, and why corporate restructuring matters in environmental contamination cases. We also break down what creosote is, why it’s used to treat railroad ties and telephone poles, and how exposure claims become so difficult when illnesses can take 15 to 30 years to appear. Along the way, you’ll hear the details locals remember most: nighttime plumes, a mothball-like odor, and the uneasy reality of living, working, and even playing Little League next to an industrial site.

Then we get into the lawsuit timeline and the money questions that still won’t go away: the headline figure, what people actually received, and a separate claim alleging hundreds of millions still are owed. We also ask what any community should ask after a plant closes: is the property still releasing toxic chemicals, and is the EPA monitoring it today?

If you care about true crime stories rooted in public health, corporate accountability, and small-town survival, subscribe and follow Taking A Second Look. Share this episode with someone who lives near heavy industry, and if you like what we’re building, leave a review so more listeners can find the story.