Members of the unrecognized Ramapough Tribe of New Jersey say waste left from a former paint sludge dump has caused illnesses and early death.

The tribe says Ford Motor Company's $2.5 million cleanup of the old plant was incomplete. Federal and state officials who toured the site found evidence of waste mixed with paint sludge and other junk. But some of the material may not be traceable to Ford.

The tribe commissioned a study of soil in the area and found lead concentrations 300 times higher than federal safety limits.

The tribe sought recognition through the Bureau of Indian Affairs but was denied.

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Officials Find Paint Sludge at Former Ford Dump (The Hackensack Record 4/15)