Jessica Randall, 24, of Endicott, thinks a toxic chemical plume linked to IBM might have caused her Down syndrome and congenital heart defects. She underwent three heart surgeries and one stomach surgery by the time she was 7. "I am doing fine now, but who knows what I would be like if I was not disabled." In 2008, about 1,000 residents have filed suit against IBM, which left town in 2002, leaving widespread pollution behind.