Picher, Oklahoma

Once a bustling town of 20,000 people, Picher had the world's richest lead and zinc mining fields. The Tar Creek which runs through the area is burned red with acidic water that leeches up from the abandoned mining tunnels underground. The EPA declared Picher the most toxic place in the United States. The level of lead found in the blood of residents was so high, that the government began relocating and buying out all the businesses. Only about 25 people remain today, and eventually the hazardous town will be bulldozed, the poisoned mountains of waste removed, leaving only scarred land.