TOXIC EXPOSURE AND THE INVERSION OF THE HOME

□ The meaning of home for Americans reflects what is commonly termed the "American Dream," in which the home serves as a basis for both the security of the nuclear family and as a prop to its identity. Beyond its psychological importance, and perhaps as a partial source of it, home also makes a financial statement. A study of families residing in a community affected by groundwater contamination resulted in some insight into how the concept of home is affected by such human-caused disaster. Residential expectations for life in the community precontamination are documented to establish a baseline for comparison. The notification of serious contamination resulted in a number of fundamental