Arts & Entertainment

'Toms River' Author: 'This Is Your Story'

Dan Fagin appeared at Toms River's Ocean County Library branch Thursday

Author Dan Fagin returned to the library where he spent countless hours researching his book to talk to the community whose struggles with industrial pollution it explores. 

An audience of locals filled Mancini Hall at Toms River's Ocean County Library branch Thursday night to hear Fagin talk about "Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation." They are, he said, the ultimate critic. 

"You folks will have to be the judge, because this is your story," Fagin told the audience, some of whom lived through the era of Ciba-Geigy's chemical plant pollution and the dumping of toxic wastes at Reich Farm. "The people who I care most about are the people who have lived this story."

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Fagin, a journalism professor and director of the Science, Health, and Environmental Reporting Program at New York University, first wrote about the Toms River's pollution problem while working for Newsday. When a multimillion-dollar settlement was awarded to 69 Toms River families affected by toxic chemical waste in 2001, Fagin was the environmental reporter for the New York-based paper. 

"This story — your story — matters, and not just to the people of Toms River," he said.

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About 95 percent of Fagin's book is based on public records, information any citizen could find. A resident in the audience thanked him for compiling it into a written record. 

"The service you've given us is you pulled it together. It won't be forgotten," he said, a sentiment that received applause from those in the hall.

What went on in Toms River has happened — and continues to happen — around the globe. Sometimes the truth is exposed, but other times, it may not come to light, according to Fagin. 

In Toms River, wrongdoing was exposed because some refused to keep quiet. They became organized and pushed public officials for answers and action, he said. 

"When that happened, the public officials jumped right into line," Fagin said. 

Regulations have gotten better since Toms River's pollution problems — Fagin said the township's natural resources today are comparable in quality to surrounding areas — but more can be done by lawmakers.

As for the former Ciba-Geigy site, Fagin said that not all of it should be dismissed from future development. Though he noted he is not an expert, Fagin said that the Environmental Protection Agency "did a good job" mapping out the damage to the site. 

"I'm not one to say the entire 1,200 acres should forever be fenced off," he said.

The land is now owned by BASF and was recently consolidated from six to three lots. Resident Carol Benson told Fagin that the community should not trust corporations or public officials. 

Fagin said that is a concept his book is asking questions when things don't seem right. 

"A core message of this book is you shouldn't let your public officials patronize you," he said.


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