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Stark Evidence

There's no proof that chemicals wafting from factories triggered breast cancer in three women who lived in Richmond, California. But Marleen Quint, with graphic proof of her ordeal, suspects living in sight of the plants was a factor. "My mother is 79 and has all her body parts." Quint, Wanna Wright, center, and Etta Lundy hope to force a nearby oil refinery to reduce "flaring" of excess gases.

Photograph by Peter Essick; photograph of Marleen Quint by Amelia Davis