Barri & Dustin Kitchens

Bari and Dustin Kitchens at Well Thirteen in South San Jose.
The major source of toxic water, the well is now closed.

In San Jose in the late 1970s, 58,000 gallons of chemicals used to make computer chips leaked from an underground storage tank into the water supply. The California Birth Defects Monitoring Program detected a tripling of birth defects and a doubling of miscarriages during the time of the leak. When the leak stopped, the rate of birth defects returned to normal. In July of 1986, Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation, the company responsible for the leak, reached a financial settlement in a lawsuit that Included 117 children with birth defects, cancer and blood diseases. Dustin kitchens, now six, was one of the children in the settlement.

My son was a year-and-a-half old when he collapsed. He lay there, really pale, and looked at me.

The specialist in children’s blood diseases asked me, “Has he been around any chemicals, under the kitchen sink or anything?” I said, “God, it’s my only child. I’m really careful and have everything locked up.”

She said it’s a rare disease. He doesn’t make enough blood cells. It’s not treatable and they don’t know what will happen. I was scared to death I would lose him. With lots of vitamins and prayers his blood count is back to normal—but itcan happen again. I watch to see if he loses his color and becomes weak.

When I heard about the chemical leak it scared me to death. I didn’t even want to take showers. But my main concern was my son. He’s more important than my life.

If I had my choice I wouldn’t live here. But I don’t know If there is any safe place to live. I was young and I was a new mother. I thought we could drink the water.