  | ||
          |
Love Canal, Niagara Falls, New York Designed to be a dream community, Love Canal in Niagara Falls, New York, was constructed in 1893, and abruptly abandoned in 1910. By the 1920s, the site was frequently used by Hooker Chemical and Plastic for waste disposal. The company dumped 21,000 tons of waste into the canal between 1942 and 1953, whereupon the dumpsite was sold to the Niagara Falls School District for one dollar. Shortly thereafter, a community was developed at Love Canal. Although residents of Love Canal noticed strange smells and puddles from the beginning, it was not until April 1, 1978, that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tested the site and identified it as a public health hazard. The city did nothing to alleviate the problems, nor did they warn the residents. On August 1, 1978, after massive amounts of rainfall, the result of years of chemical dumping was exposed as drums of chemicals emerged from the ground and toxic streams began to form. The EPA identified 82 different compounds at Love Canal, 11 of which were carcinogenic. On August 7, 1978, President Carter declared the site a federal disaster area, the first time the term had been applied to a man-made disaster, and 239 families were evacuated. The effects of chemical dumping at Love Canal not only damaged the land, but also the health of the residents. From the mid 1950s through the 1970s, numerous illnesses were reported as a result of chemical exposure, including burns from children playing in contaminated puddles, miscarriages, leukemia, high rates of cancer, and birth defects. Between 1974 and 1978, defects occurred in 56 percent of births at Love Canal. The years following this environmental crisis were fraught with lawsuits. There was debate over whether to blame Hooker (now Occidental) or the Niagara Falls School District. Ultimately, Occidental was held accountable. All of the state and private cases were folded into the federal suit. In 1989, Occidental took over the cost of the clean up at Love Canal, totaling $45 million, and in 1995, the company paid out $129 million in damages, $6.75 million of which went to the residents. After attorney fees, the payments to private citizens ranged from $63,000 and $133,000. Moreover, efforts have been made by the state government to make Love Canal safe once again. This effort began in 1988 with aid from EPA’s Superfund and the New York State Love Canal Revitalization program. Finally, in 1999, despite protest from former residents, the EPA declared the community fit for habitation. Love Canal was renamed Black Creek Village, and new residents moved into the area.
Selected Bibliography “Love Canal Retires; Superfund Delisting of Landmark Site Marks End of an Era, Not of a Legacy.” The Buffalo News, 11 October 2004, A3.
Beck, Eckardt C. "The Love Canal Tragedy." Environmental Protection Agency, January 1979.
Weblink.
Bryan, Nichol. Love Canal: Pollution Crisis. Milwaukee, WI: World Almanac Library, 2004.
“Environmental Defense. “Love Canal.” Scorecard: The Pollution Information Site, 2004.
Weblink. Love Canal, Niagara Falls, New York Pictures in the Gallery 
|
|
 | ||