Introduction: What is Chem-Dyne?

50 years ago, the Chem-Dyne Corporation came to Hamilton, Ohio to establish a waste processing plant. In the five years that Chem-Dyne operated in Hamilton, over 112,000 barrels of toxic waste were processed at the site: barrels of waste that were improperly handled. When Chem-Dyne went out of business in 1980, the barrels were left on the site, resulting in the uncontrolled release of chemicals from cracks in different storage tanks. These chemicals seeped into the local groundwater, resulting in an environmental disaster that necessitated funding from the Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund to assist in cleaning up the site. The long-term environmental impacts of the disaster have gone largely unresearched, and few in Hamilton are even aware that the site exists today. This website offers a history of the Chem-Dyne site, including the government and policy actions that affected the site, how local newspapers reported on the issue, how the EPA Superfund system works and has worked in Hamilton, and an overview of community issues connected to the site. 

This short film, "No Trespassing," was shot on site at the Chem-Dyne Superfund site and nearby neighborhood area. The film is titled after the repeated motif of the no trespassing sign, which is meant to suggest a connection between private property and what happens to land when it is polluted. The video incorporates clippings from the Hamilton JournalNews archive in order to weave together the past and present of the Chem-Dyne site.