In June 1991, volcanic Mount Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines. At that same moment a typhoon hit. Heavy rain dampened plumes of ash, creating an admixture thick as concrete. More than 350 people died, most trapped in buildings smothered by the sludge.

Refugees fled to nearby Clark Air Base. The base had been operated by the United States since 1903, but was serendipitously in the process of being vacated. About five hundred families built a makeshift village on the site, where they lived for years, drinking out of shallow wells and waiting for disaster relief that never came.

They didn’t know that their safe haven was poisoned with massive quantities of oil, pesticides, and lead. Seventy-six of the refugees at Clark Air Base have since died from toxic exposure. Nineteen children were born there with severe disabilities. The US government has washed its hands of the matter entirely.