NewsChannel 5.com - Nashville, Tennessee - Tour Spotlights Effect Of Water Contamination On Dickson Family

Tour Spotlights Effect Of Water Contamination On Dickson Family

DICKSON, Tenn. - Environmental racism is a strong accusation but one a Dickson family said is the only way to explain why nothing has been done about poison buried beneath their land.

For years the Holt family has spoken out about the toxins flowing from the Dickson Landfill.

On Thursday, health experts supported their claim.

A coalition of leaders who represented health, religious and civil rights groups boarded a bus from Nashville's Fisk University to Dickson.

The town is located about 35 miles west of Nashville.

The tour was organized to highlight the problem and show that it remained unchecked for years.

The family said toxins from the landfill have seeped into their well water. As a result, the family has experienced a number of health problems.

"I think people should stand up and take back their health, take back their communities," said Sheila Holt-Orsted. "We have four generations that have been affected by this one company and their greed."

Holt-Orsted, who has breast cancer, starts treatment this week.

The Dickson case has been featured in numerous national media features stories including CNN, the Washington Post and People Magazine.

In a study released earlier this year, the United Church of Christ described the case as a poster child of environmental racism.

"We need to strengthn our environmental laws and health laws so that this type of thing never happens again," said Dr. Robert Bullard, who directs the Environmental Justice Resource Center at Clark Atlanta University.

Bullard was among the individuals who visited the community Thursday.

"We want them to see that injustice is still going on right now because the issue has not been resolved," he said.

Holt-Orsted's family has several lawsuits pending.  Some relatives still live on the property, but they now use city water.