they're out there. >> techknow's team of experts show you how the miracles of science... >> this is my selfie, what can you tell me about my future? >> can affect and surprise us. >> don't try this at home. >> "techknow" where technology meets humanity. only on al jazeera america. >> this is al jazeera america. i'm richelle carey, in new york. here are the top stories. evidence tonight that i.s.i.l. has access to chemical weapons and used them already. >> the united states came off two major wars in the middle east. there was little appetite for a third. >> also, could the united states have done more to prevent the spread of i.s.i.l. in syria. in israel campaigning intensifies days before the election. we'll look at the choices facing the voters. here in the united states

potential presidential candidates globing candidates flock to the state of new hampshire. claims today that i.s.i.l. fighters used chemical weapons. the kurdistan regional government says it has evidence the group used chlorine gas in a january suicide car bomb attack in northern iraq. dozens of peshmerga fighters were treated for nausea symptoms after the blast. 13 peshmerga fighters were killed in i.s.i.l. shelling. the incident taking place near kirkuk and the u.s.-led coalition says it staged eight air strikes on i.s.i.l. and iraq, the attacks taking place in the last 24 hours, targetting i.s.i.l. units in kirkuk mosul, fallujah and another. we look at allegations that i.s.i.l. used chlorine gas on

attacks in iraq. kurdish officials say an example was january 23rd, between mosul and the border. a truck racing down the road coming under fire from peshmerga fighters. there's more smoke as the truck explodes. al jazeera america syrian contributor and journalist in washington d.c. joins us this evening. where would i.s.i.l. have gotten chemical weapons. >> first of all, it's important that the o.p.c.w. has not verified that this really happened. given this it's not difficult for i.s.i.l. to get its hand on chlorine gas. it's available online unfortunately anyone can get it. it's available in abandoned

factories. it's not where did i.s.i.l. get its hands on chlorine gas, which is available, it's how did it weaponize it if it did. that's the danger. >> and you make a good point that it hasn't been verified that this actually happened but having said that there are allegations that they have done this before. >> yes, and actually the use of chlorine gas - we have been hearing it a lot, and in syria, and since the august 2013 chemical attack that happened on the outskirts of damascus and after syria submitted its chemical weapons arsenal, since then have been hearing that chlorine gas attacks have been going on. the o.p.c.w. came out with a report saying three times it went on in syria, and it remains

to be seen if that can be verified that i.s.i.l. is using chlorine attacks. >> how difficult is it to weaponize chlorine? >> you know it's not that difficult. the peshmerga report that it was - that you know - that alleges it was delivered through a suicide bomber. how difficult would it be to put chlorine gas in a ball around a suicide bomber that goes in it's not that hard. but the silver lining is weaponizing it in that way is not going to cause a great deal of damage. not a lot more than what a suicide bomber is going to cause in the first place. the biggest damage that an attack like that creates is fear psychological warfare, and that is what i.s.i.l. is aiming for. >> and having said that what could possibility be next for i.s.i.l. there are beheadings now possibility chemical warfare,

what could be next on the agenda? >> well, of course when it comes to i.s.i.l. one never nose they are looking for the next awe and shock - i don't think the biggest danger with i.s.i.l., is if they are looking to recruit more chemical weapons experts, which they have been trying to do that they haven't been very success. ful ful -- successful. they have weapons experts from the saddam hussein era. one was killed earlier in year apparently. that's the danger is recruiting expertise in chemical warfare and getting their hands on toxic chemical weapons. thank you for your insight and expertise on this. we appreciate it iraqi forces say they are close to choosing in on the

strategic city of tikrit. the military is holding its position opt outskirts of the city until -- on the outskirts of the city until re-enforcements arrive. they are not giving up. >> essentially iraqi commanders say they need the time to get in reinforcements to tikrit. they managed to take back part of the city. i.s.i.l. is in control of about half of it. in the areas where it's not in control any more they have left behind backy trapped buildings -- booby-trapped buildings, explosives. and neighbourhood. that's why it's taking so long. the iraqi military with militia members. they are calling for enforcements and explosive experts. they need them to go neighbourhood to neighbourhood. street to street and clear the explosives before the troops and militia me move in. the militia commanders say it's

expected to take a few more days. the worry is who is going to take control of the city. which force will hold it after driving out i.s.i.l. i.s.i.l. has been engauging in battles in other areas as they are driven out of tikrit. near kirkuk there has been battles over the past few days with peshmerga forces. in samarra, there were air strikes following an attack on an army post. i.s.i.l. captured more than 10 soldiers according to security sources. that's not the only place, in the north, in the town of gurr air, peshmerga, kurdish force commanders say that i.s.i.l. has blown up part of a brim that was briefly blown up by peshmerga forces but repaired. it was blown up to halt the advance of fighters towards erbil. the fact that i.s.i.l. destroyed

the remaining part of the bridge could indicate that they are coming back into areas where they have been driven back by kurdish forces and u.s. air strikes. >> jane arraf reporting there. i.s.i.l.'s advance took advantage of instability caused by the civil war. questions are asked about whether the u.s. had done more to kerb i.s.i.l.'s reach. >> no one in the west predicted what i.s.i.l. would become. they should have. at the time the focus was on the aftermath of the arab spring. in 2012, in the middle of a full-blown still war, the syrian military was accused of committing human rights abuses. bringing the warning from the u.s. president obama. >> a red line for us is we start seeing a bunch of chemical weapons moved around or utilised. >> a year later president obama said he had prove chemical weapons had been used and tried to build public support for

military intervention. it didn't work. >> the united states came off two major wars and there was little appetite for a third. >> inside syria, armed groups waged war for their open end. i.s.i.l. forged in the aftermath of the 2003 invasion of iraq was there, operating in sunni areas. then it was on to northern iraq where u.s. trained iraqi troops dropped their guns and ran. when. i.s.i.l. fighters came within the 40km the u.s. air war began. it was the beheading on camera of the journalist that got the public's attention. >> the beheadings i think, effect. there's no question. that, plus the strategic element, that can't be overlooked as well, the idea that, you know here is a country, iraq where the united states fought a decade-long war, and now a new group of ipp

surgence is taking -- insurgence is taking territory. since the start of the conflict the official syrian potion begged washington to give it weapons. to no avail. it's now that u.s. forces started to train fighters not to fight the forces of president bashar al-assad, but i.s.i.l. if the group is to fight i.s.i.s. displace it take control of territory. the regime will have to leave it alone or they have to fight the regime. it's possible that the regime will leave them alone for deconfor example purposes it's unlikely. >> it's too simplistic to suggest that had the u.s. intervened that it could have prevented the spread of i.s.i.l. across the region it's clear that the president obama's effort to limit its own footprint have not worked we have a developing story

out of saudi arabia. the u.s. embassy in riyadh is closed for security reasons. it was one of more than 20 shut down across the middle east in 2013 when emails were intercepted between top al qaeda officials, telephone lines at the diplomatic post will be down for sunday and monday and only essential staff will be an duty. officials say the partial shutdown is in response to what is called height end security concerns and are encouraging citizens to be aware of their surroundings and take precautions when travelling throughout the country c.i.a. money meant for a secret african fund wound up going to al qaeda in 2010, according to a "new york times" report. the money was used by afghanistan to pay part of the ransom for a diplomat. obama warned operatives who took the cash that it may be

contaminated with poison or contain a tracking device. the story came to life when letters about the ransom were submitted in the federal trial of a lieutenant. the c.i.a. refused to comment about the story when we contacted them. secretary of state john kerry is not sure the agreement over the iran nuclear programme is within reach. negotiators hope to develop a framework for an agreement by the end of the month. kerry renewed concerns that a letter sent to iran last week may have undermined the talks. the united nations sent emergency teams to vancouver, in the wake of cyclone pam. eight people are confirmed dead on the island nation laying east of northern australia. thousands have been forced to shelters after their homes were destroyed. vim has the latest. >> venturing out of their homes to assess the -- kim vinnell has

the latest. >> reporter: venturing out of their homes to assess the damage by cyclone pam. vanuatu hit by wind of up to 270 k/hr. the category 5 form the most severe on the scale uprooted trees and tore about homes and stores. power was cut, and as the storm raged residents could do little but wait. >> i was in the bathroom, back against the door. i'm listening to the roof which souped like it's lift -- sounds like it's lifting and i'm holding on for deer life. all i can -- for dear life. all i can do is think about people in vanuatu with no shelter. this will be a horrific humanitarian disaster. >> as pictures of devastation in the capital emerge the concern is for those living in smaller villages and on the outer islands. aid groups say it's possible

villages have been wiped out. >> it's been a destructive cyclone hitting a country that has - that is using a lot of traditional shelters and housing, which means that they are vulnerable to this intensity. >> reporter: the u.n. says there are unconfirmed reports that dozens of people have been killed in the north-east. vanuatu's president - away to attend a conference in japan - is unsure of what helle return to -- he'll return to. >> i'm speaking to you today with a heart that is so heavy. i don't know what impact cyclone pam had on vanuatu. >> thousands of people were evacuated to shelters returning to find their homes destroyed. the u.n. is deploying a rapid response team to aid relief operations and pacific neighbours are on hand. >> there are destructive winds, rain flooding landslides sea

surges and very rough seas. tropical cyclone pam will impact on alternativa lou, kiribati fifi and the solomon islands. >> reporter: vancouver bore the brunt. it is headed to new zealand. with teetering trees, powerlines and flooding many areas are too dangerous to assess. right to kevin corriveau now with more on the storm. dramatic pictures. >> absolutely we'll get more pictures as they go out to the other island. this is in the capital area that they are getting the pictures out. as we go to the other areas, and we are talking about islands in vanuatu - over 80. this is some of those shelters as well as the residences. this is what people are dealing with. a lot of these live in the thatch hutch, one-room shelters and homes. no place to go for evacuation. the flooding was devastating,

communication wiped out. >> i want to show you the satellite picture. the storm moved away. they are clearing out. the airport is able to go in and out of the airport with the islands here. let's look at the islands that we are talking about. >> vanuatu has 82 islands in the chain itself. population is about a quarter of a million. here, we are talking about 66,000 people living in that area. that is where the eight confirmed deaths were. but what i'm concerned about is down here to the south. these are the islands that are seeing about 25 to 33,000 people. the storm made its way to the mess putting the islands in the worst part of the storm. we do not know what has happened down there to the south. as we go to the next couple of days as the storm makes it way to the tasman sea, it is moving into cooler waters. it's equivalent to a category 4

hurricane. the storm is making its way close to new zealand. it will not be like a category 5 storm towards the south. the north island of new zealand is going to see heavy rain showers and flooding going on there. thank you very much. >> the fight against ebola. and it's far from over. a dozen u.s. aid workers affected with a disease in west africa are headed home. several top republicans are making their way - why it matters. the city prepares for local elections in ferguson.

an american diagnosed with ebola, and 10 that may have been exposed are back in the united states from sierra leone.

the person is at the national institute for health in maryland. people that worked with that patient are being monitored. four taken to the nebraska medical center which treated ebola patient in the past. the c.d.c. issued the following statement: the world health organisation says the death toll from the outbreak in west africa is over 10,000, 116 new cases emerged last week. it's the deadliest outbreak since 1976 when it was discovered a busy week for republicans in new hampshire, potential presidential candidates are descending on the state, it will hold the first elections.

jed bush is there, scott walker is in town. according to a maryse poll 18% of g.o.p. primary voters support bush 15% walker. we welcome in political correspondent michael shure. good to see you, i like to talk politics with you. why newhampshire? >> you are going to introduce things happening in new hampshire for the next year or so. this is the focal point of the republicans, not just iowa a different republican. you see scott walker jed bush mitt romney do well in a place like new hampshire. this is where people go to speak to the less conservative in terms of religious and social conservatives. they are spending a tonne of time there. >> new hampshire has four electoral votes, just four. they have largely gone

democratic. the five of the last six presidential elections. what is the significance here? >> absolutely nothing to do with the general election or the electoral votes. what they do is realise that this is a place, this is a place where the race can start for the nominees. they want to be there and get on the map in new hampshire. it's nothing to do with the general election at all. this is a place where politics starts. >> give me a quote from scott walker. i think voters will look at this and say if we are running against hillary clinton, we'll need a name from the future not a name from the past. do you think voters will agree with him on that. >> i think voters. scott walker supporters will. people will be excusing it if they were jed bush reporters. you'll hear the same refrain from marco rubio, ted cruz ben

carson, mike huckabee. we need change. it's a typical tact that people take. it may or may not work. we have elected a bush in the country and the people that ran against him use the same argument. >> let's tuck about common core immigration, offshore drilling. jed bush stands in opposition to the republican base on issued likes that. how does he overcome something like that. >> it's interesting. jed bush according to a washington post story, a breaking story said jed bush used his classified and private emails to send classified and security information while he was governor of florida, he has to answer to that. it doesn't go in sync with what it's a lot of republicans are saying. he's going to have to overcome these things. what he is doing we talked about before. he's going off the mitt romney john mccain model. that you can run for president

and not be a very right wing social conservative that you can come to the middle and find compromise, because you have to get independent voters or departments that are not ready to vote tore hillary clinton or whoever the nominee is. it has worked in the past. >> talk about the vote an loreta lynch to replace outgoing attorney general eric holder. is there a chance that she is not confirmed and if so what might the implications of that be? >> if i was standing in nevada making a bet. i would say loreta limp will be firmed -- lynch will be confirmed as the attorney storage. there are some that will not support her. there are 15 republicans, or

there are 15 votes in favour. four came out and said they'll support loreta lynch, that's 50/50. it will go down to the wire. it's a political cliff-hanger. it's unprecedented to go against what the committee voted. they voted to support her. they came out with support and a recommendation. if it doesn't happen that's your question. who knows. republicans will sit back and say will be vote for attorney general eric holder or change. a lot will say it's time. enough will say it's time to vote for change. >> okay. good stuff as always. thank you. >> thank. >> ferguson, missouri - protesters are calling for calm but vowing to keep pushing for change it's been two days since two police officers were shot in that city. racial tensions ran high since the police killing of an unarmed black teen last summer. kristen saloomey has more. >> reporter: investigators are

pursuing leads, but have more questions than answers. the chief of the st. louis police who is handling the situation can't say how many suspects they are looking for, whether it's a man or woman, leaving two officers injured or if the shooters were connected to the demonstrators that are gathered outside the police depp. which you see -- police department. which you see behind me. this is where witnesses and police say the shots came from. questions have been raised about whether or not the officers could have been accuratery targeted. the police chief said it was possible. while he couldn't link the shooting to the protesters. he said that the location doesn't seem to be a coincidence. he couldn't rule out the possibility that the demonstrators may have been targeted by the gunmen. >> kristen saloomey reporting

there. >> in wisconsin, a funeral was held for a 19-year-old bi-racial man, shot and killed by a police officer last week. hundreds gathered to pay their respects for tony robinson. he was killed after assaulting an officer. this is the latest death and a number of shootings nationwide that increased tensions between citizens and police. an estate agency is investigating the shooting. a government review found more than 6.5 million active social security numbers for people over the age much 112. trouble is 42 people are known to be that old in the entire world. the agency does not have death records more millions of those active social security numbers, 13 are claiming benefits but that means anyone can use active numbers to open fake bank accounts or credit cards. israeli prime minister binyamin netanyahu is seeking a fourth term in office.

next, we look at binyamin netanyahu's biggest challenger and why he has a different take on the future of israel. the world population is ageing. a look at the strain that is putting on countries trying to support retirees.

welcome back to al jazeera america here are the top stories - the kurdish regional government in iraq says it has proof that i.s.i.l. fighters used chemical weapons on attacks in iraq. dozens of peshmerga fighters were treated for chlorine gas poisoning after a bombing. i.s.i.l. has been accused of using chemical weapons in the past emergency teams going to the island nation after cyclone pam. thousands have been forced to emergency shelters. 10 aid workers will return to the u.s. it comes a day after an american

healthcare worker diagnosed in sierra leone arrive add at maryland, at the institute of health dozens of judges had been forced into retirement after supporting muslim brotherhood, allegedly. it's the latest move on crackdowns for political dissent. the others ousted were members of judges for egypt. a group supportive of the brotherhood. it comes five days before two al jazeera journalists are due in court to stand trial for aiding a brotherhood. journalists have spent more that a year in gaol on the charges, which al jazeera denies. mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed were granted a new trial, but last week the prosecution witnesses failed to show up so the retrial date was moved to thursday.

secretary of state john kerry is in egypt to discuss negotiations with iran but spoke about the election in israel. it's a tough battle between the party led by binyamin netanyahu, and his chief rival isaac herzog of the labor party. >> president obama is committed to a 2-state solution and is hopeful that whatever choice people of israel make there'll be an ability to move forward on the efforts. >> it's that peace efforts that ice isaac herzog is taunting on. imtiaz tyab has more. >> he's met palestinian officials more times than other politicians. isaac herzog the leader of the

olympics, the left of the central labour party, says he's committed to making peace. >> it's a mistake that we assume it's over. it's part of the tragedy unfolding in front of our lives. it's not true. it is possible absolutely possible still to make peace with the palestinians. >> in the days leading up to the general election on march 17th, herzog is running a campaign against his closest rival binyamin netanyahu. labour gained momentum after it forged an alliance with the party led by the former justice minister and peace negotiator zippy livni. it was suggested that a zionist block could win more than the likud party, but is polling short of a majority. a professor of political science at the university in the occupied west bank and says no

matter the outcome of the election little will likely change. >> of course there are preferences, and binyamin netanyahu is at the worst with palestinians. right wing tloorth dox. the left is better for palestinians, for their daily life. to reach a final settlement that the palestinians can live with i don't think any would offer that. a few shared by many politicians. this person runs a tanned wij stall and says life under occupation -- a sandwich sfal and says life gets worse every year. and with a new president a final settlement is unlikely. >> israeli politicians are like two sides from the same coin. nothing will change. >> mahmoud abbas declared that israel's elections do not interest him.

what does is the decision by prime minister binyamin netanyahu's government to withhold hundreds of millions belonging to the palestinian authority saying whoever is elected as the next leader must change that. >> nato warships from six countries are taking part in exercises off the black see. 300 miles from russian held crimea. it's part of a deployment to the region coming as russia marks a year since its annexation of the crimea peninsula. russian officials says it has the right to move ammunitions in the territory dozens of countries from yugoslavia are fighting either side of the battle. the largest are serbs fighting with the separatist.

a smaller number of croat are with the army. >> a peaceful town in serbia on the banks of the danube. this is where a young man was brought up. this is where he is now. in the bad lands of eastern ukraine fighting for a russian-backed separatist. that is him on the right. here he is amongst a group of serbs. helping in the battle. greetings from serbia they say. we spoke in eastern ukraine through the internet. why, i ask him, is he fighting in a war in another country. >> we serbs owe a debt to russia. i couldn't just sit back and watch on television. i will stay here until the victory. i don't care if i'm locked up when i go home.

>> travelling from serbia to croatia, this is the capital. from this country too men have gone to fight in the war in ukraine. these croat joined a militia allied to the government army. >> the croat are with the battalion, with links to the far right. fighting in mariupol. the croatian government sis it's not worried. the numbers involved are small. i asked the foreign minister are these men breaking the law by going to ukraine to fight? >> no they'll be breaking the laws if they were joining terrorists organizations. ukranian army is not considered terrorist organizations. >> our information is they are fighting for the battalion, almost a freelance group with the ukranian army. >> which doesn't fall under the

category of terrorist organizations. >> i met a member of the group in touch with the fighters and was sympathetic, should we talk about them as mercenaries. >> they are paid $100 million a month. less than the minimum wage. they get support here. i wish them good luck. they'll need it. some of those that have gone are veterans of the balkan wars. some are extremists from the margins of society. the war is causeing ripples in the former yugoslavia. >> the u.s. allowed vietnam to stop the military using its base. russia used it as a support site for bomber fights over the asia pacific. we have more from manila. >> reporter: a show of strength far from home. according to the u.s. military

russian planes and bombers have been increasing patrols not just over the atlantic and the north sea, but the asia pacific region, close to the u.s. territory of gaum. the u.s. says patrols are being refuelled by tankers taking off. flying over a region rife with its open tensions. >> we have urged vietnamese officials to ensure russia is not able to use access to conduct activities raising tensions in the region. we have done that privately with officials, and the preference is that they would not. >> reporter: the u.s. has been trying to gain more access to cameron bay and is refocussing troops as the influence in the area is growing. china has been expanding its region. many countries are counting on the u.s. for support.

including vietnam. vietnamese have recently improved ties with the u.s. their defense and energy cooperation with russia goes back decades. >> it's very much a multi polar game so you are much more into balance of power, multi state systems, people pushing back and forth and trying to understand how to link several times and it gets more complicated. >> the cold war, dangerous and nerve-racking is such. >> there's nothing simple about three world powers flexing their muscles. >> for the countries, it's about balancing interests. the politics between russia and the u.s. added another dimension to a difficult and complex web of diplomacy the united nations beliefs that in over 30 years the number of people 60 or older will be

greater than the number of children in the world, and caring for seniors living longer before is a problem confronting governments confirm. in hong kong residents are discovering that retirement is not possible. we have this report on the challenges in hong kong. >> every morning that woman goes to work. she earns less than $4 an hour. >> translation: it's obviously not quite enough but she manages to scrape by. i have to be frugal. >> reporter: in hong kong there's no pension for those that retirement. there's an old age living allowance of $280 a month. it's not enough to cover the rent and basic living. i have to earn a living and eat.

therefore i need to find work. in a city lacking much of a social safety net and going back to work after retirement is common. this 80-year-old worked in this stall for most of his life. he combines earnings and living allowance to pay his $200 a month represent. >> if i depend on the allowance, it's not enough. since i earn some money from my job, together it's enough. >> the plight the elderly in hong kong is at the heart of this section. welfare groups want to highlight the changes faced by $1 million people forced to rely on savings to survive. >> living is expensive. it's expensive. >> around one-third the elderly in hong kong live in poverty. the government has pledged

6.5 billion to set up a retirement plan it's yet to explain what it is. the leader all but ruled out creating a scheme. that was the recommendation in a government-commissioned report. the author of that report believes without a universe pension, the situation facing hong kong's rapidly ageing population is unsustainable. when they are working they can say little for the future. they now retire and expect the children to support. i'm afraid that children nowadays do not support the elderly parents any more. >> it has been said they'd welcome government help sadly it's a debate that many of elderly don't expect to be resolved in their lifetime. >> reporter: the problems for americans are relying on pensions to retire is the subject of our deeper look

coming up in the next hour on al jazeera america coming up next - three deaths prompt a recall for a major ice-cream brand, and a toxic mess in texas. >> how bad is this one? >> this site is pretty bad. the challenge of cleaning up one of the worst waste dumps in america. and in southern california a record heatwave is raising concerns ahead of la's sunday marathon.

a cremery is pulling products off shelves after being linked to three deaths in kansas. listeria was found in several its made by the company. the health department says it was a contributing factor in the death of the the product include sour pops green apple.

cotton candy and no-sugar added. customers are advised to throw the its away temperatures in southern california are souring. runners will face record-breaking heat. yesterday l.a. hit 90 degrees, in isn'ta anna it was -- santa ana it was 96. race organizers know what to expect if people are pushing too hard? >> they are bent over. we've had ex-tense if heat i believe we have still had hundreds of people. >> organizers will start early in an effort to beat the heat. kevin corriveau is here with more. >> the '90s is hot. i'll go one better.

99 degrees for pasadena. this is the hottest day. tomorrow we'll start the race. by the start time we are looking at 68 degrees. what we are dealing with here is high pressure. what this does is you get rid of a lot of clouds a lot of sun in the forecast. and doubt with commotion. that tends to heat things up. this is what we are seeing. we saw temperatures into about the 94 degree range. >> currently we are going to the evening. temperatures are coming down. los angeles still at 91 san diego at 96. the temperatures at 29 degrees higher. the average is 70 as a high. tomorrow a little cooler 92 degrees. then we are on the downhill stretch. temperatures are coming down.

87 degrees on tuesday. by the time we get to the end of the week things will be better. if those temperatures are not bad enough look at this. rapid city 82 degrees. normally at this time of year you see temperatures into the 50 degree range. we are over 30 degrees higher in this particular area. this will continue so we have another heatwave in this area up to the north central part of the united states. it will be for the next couple of days. >> thank you so much. good luck to all the runners. >> a wildfire raging on the coast has been contained. the blaze broke out in an illegal dump. strong winds caused it to spread quickly. more than 7,000 people were forced to flee their homes near the city. one person died of a heart attack another 21, including 15 firefighters were hurt. the environmental protection agency keeps a list of america's

hazardous waste sites. near the top of that list - the sigh was capped and contained in 2001. some residents say it poses a threat. heidi zhou-castro reports. >> reporter: the river, a thorough fare for bathrooms, a retreat for waterfront living and the site of one of the worst toxic waste dumps in the u.s. >> in your experience working with the e.p.a. working with sites, how bad is this one? >> this site is pretty bad. >> in 1965 a waste disposal company covered 15 acres of land with sludge. at the time no one new the grey mud-like material contained diox jeps. we used -- dioxins. >> we used to swim and fish. >> sam was a child when the waste began to fill pits.

he lives on the same street. >> we didn't know what they were doing. >> by 1968 the paper mill and waste company abandoned the site. the river widened. permanently submerging the pits. a seafood advisory has been in in effect since the '90s when high levels of dioxins were found in fish and crab. it wasn't until 2005 that an agency discovered the site. >> the pits were leaking and uncontained for four decades, no one let us know that they were there, or we shouldn't recreate in the river. >> reporter: jacky said she became sick soon after moving to a nearby neighbourhood. she was a 17-year-old track star. she fell ill. by 24 she had seizures and was

diagnosed with cervical cancer. >> my dad has mia loama, a rare bone cancer. and several in town have multiple mia loama. we are talking a town of 7,000 people. >> reporter: the texas department of health is investigating the waste pit's impact. everywhere is working diligently to do the best thing for the site. >> ken is a cuctor. one of two companies responsible for the pits. the waste is covered by an armoured cap and 60,000 sons of rock. a containment solution. >> how do you know this is working? >> well, it's monitored and carefully subject to constant review. >> there's no indication of dioxin's escaping.

that's why the e.p.a. should allow the site to be capped. rather that order the companies to remove the waste. >> we want the right thing to be done to maintain this and deals with the problem, takes care of the clean-up that needs to occur. that's what we are interested in. >> are you interested in doing it the cheapest way possible. >> not at all. >> leading the way could save the company $80 million. the community has been cross-examinal in vanting the -- vocal in wanting the waste here. >> look at it like this - if you put it here you need to put it out. >> reporter: you don't thing an armoured cap is working. >> no, it's like putting a bandate on a cut-off arm. >> reporter: the company argues removing it means reopening the cap and removing it.

and could take close to a year. what about the risk of exposure? >> i think that the risk is short-term for removing the waste pit. there's a much greater risk of a natural event. the toxic chemicals again in the environments. >> reporter: if you live next to the site would you not want this out of your backyard for good. >> i think that the main thing is that the best solution for this site will come as a result of the science that's being put into it the analysis occurring upped the regulatory -- under the regulatory agencies. >> reporter: the agency says it continues to study the site and will make a decision to contain or remove the waste, by fall. more ahead on al jazeera america, including...

>> welcome to the future ..future fest is under way in london - a look at how our lives may change for the better or the worst.

[ clapping ] british leaders unveiled a bronze statue of mahatma gandhi in parliament scare, it's a reminder of how much changed in the 70 years since fighting for independence. the statue stands near one of churchill, who was a critic and tried to stop india's independence some in london look ahead to the future of how their lives will change in coming decades. phil lavelle reports. >> welcome to the future. >> well it's noisy, you can say that. will we be strapped into chairs like this in coming years,

virtual reality maflentss on the face of it. who knows, at the moment it's fun. >> riders are limited by what their bodies can withstand. in the future i'm speculating that we'll go inside people's brains to take them to the next level. >> safely down back in the year 2015, here is the verdict on this one. >> the whole world is around you. >> this is the future fest in london, a look at how lives will be in decades to come. >> hello. >> a world where robots take on their owner's faces. >> the ultimate selfie. >> a world of colour. >> this is not a look at how bright the world will be, but is asking questions about what it will face - global food and water shortages. imagine a world where a price of cocoa has risen so much that

this chocolate bar costs $20. what we are looking at is water water supply what we are looking at is powder your saliva mixes with that and creates a ganache. because there's no water. >> reporter: this is a chance to point out that the future is people powered. >> we can have a role in deciding what happens. i think sometimes we leave it up to political or business leaders to make the decisions about what the city and government and every day lies will be. and part of reason for future fest is to say there's more of us that can have power and say. >> the question here - what kind of future do you want. something there to focus on today marks an historic day more mass lovers and everyone

who like pie. it's pie day. it's marked every march 14th in numerals 3.14 the initials of pie. it has 6.3 billion known digits. this makes it the one time the first five digits of pi. one in five in the same sequence in our lifetime. i'm richelle carey in new york the news continues with thomas drayton. did you have pie to honour the day? >> a different kind of pie, that's the thing to do. i'm thomas drayton in new york let's get you caught up on the top stories. officials reveal evidence i.s.i.l. used chemical weapons in iraq. also a profile of isaac herzog the