evaporated from the pits. Then for several years the bottles and drums were stacked in the pits before being covered with soil. This was done initially without liners and then with liners beginning in 1983. Later in 1983 chemical waste was put into lab packs and beginning in 1984 both radioactive and chemical waste have been lab packed before being placed into lined pits.” (72) 

       Lab packing refers to placing waste in small containers, then sealing the small containers in DOT 55 gallon steel drums, with sufficient absorbent material surrounding the small containers to soak up leakage. The steel drums are then placed in pits lined with chemically resistant plastic liners and covered with earth. These lab packs were originally intended to be dug up and removed at a later date. The site was closed to further dumping as of February 1, 1986. (10) 

       It is safe to assume that during those early years, only radioactive material was transported to the site for dumping. During the ‘40’s and ‘50’s the dangers of toxic chemical waste were not understood and any non-radioactive compounds would simply have been poured down the laboratory sink. (11) 

       The only time period when toxic chemical waste interments were documented was from 1978 through the closing of the site to dumping on February 1, 1986, a period of 7 years. The fact of the matter is that, as per their own admission, the standard figure of 280 tons of interred toxic waste so often reported to the media as the accumulated deposit in the landfill at the time of closing does not include any accounting for radioactive waste or undocumented chemical wastes. Specifically, unaccounted for are those radioactive wastes buried from the late forties through February 1, 1986, a time span of approximately 38 years. Additionally unaccounted for are those undocumented toxic wastes buried from the late forties through 1977, a time span of approximately 30 years.(8) 

       The University’s activities at Page Ranch hit a snag when Oracle residents