There was a farmer on eastern Long Island who had an extra house that he rented out. The rental house did not have a basement- it was built on footings and there was dirt under the floor.

One day the tenants complained of termites. The farmer came in, pried up a couple of floor boards in the kitchen, and poured in some parathion, full strength. If I remember right, parathion is supposed to be used in orchards, very much diluted. And you are not supposed to go in the orchard for 30 days without wearing a respirator.

So the people who lived in the rental house got sick, and went to the hospital. The farmer got arrested and then had to clean up the contaminated soil under the house.

He had to hire a house moving company who put steel beams under the house and wood blocks under the steel to hold the house up while they dug up the contaminated soil.

http://www.pan-uk.org/pestnews/actives/methylpa.htm

http://www.safer-world.org/e/chem/para.htm