100 Disasters That Shaped World History by Joanne Mattern

Author:Joanne Mattern
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks

50. Love Canal Disaster

1970s

People expect to be safe in their homes, schools, and communities. Unfortunately, environmental pollution can create hazardous conditions that destroy entire regions.

Residents of Love Canal, a neighborhood in Niagara Falls, New York, had no idea that, between 1946 and 1953, the Hooker Chemicals and Plastics Corporation had dumped more than 42 million pounds of pesticides and other poisonous chemicals into the canal that gave the community its name. Some of these toxic chemicals were known to cause cancer and other serious diseases.

In 1953, the local school board bought sixteen acres of land from Hooker Chemical and built a new school there. Soon, students started suffering from serious disorders, such as seizures, blood diseases, kidney failure, and cancer. Families in the community also reported severe medical problems. Many women suffered miscarriages or gave birth to children with birth defects or disabilities.

Residents also wondered why black sludge sometimes oozed into their yards and why their basements smelled so bad. Trees and other plants died. Pets and children suffered burns and rashes after playing in the fields around the old dumpsite.

Finally, during the 1970s, families in Love Canal organized and began to ask for answers. They spoke to local, state, and federal officials. Newspapers wrote stories about their efforts. It did not take long for residents to learn that their community was built on a toxic waste dump. People were terrified for their health and the health of their children. They wanted to move away, but they could not afford to leave without selling their homes. And no one wanted to buy a home that was contaminated with deadly chemicals.

On August 2, 1978, the New York State Health Commissioner reported that “Love Canal is a great and imminent peril to the health of the general public.” Two days later, residents formed the Love Canal Homeowners Association to pressure the government to pay for them to relocate. It took more than a year, but on August 5, 1979, President Jimmy Carter declared Love Canal a disaster area and authorized the federal government to pay $20 million to buy homes and relocate 239 families. Nine months later, after pressure from the Association, a second emergency was declared so the rest of the Love Canal families could move away.

Love Canal led to the passage of the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, more commonly known as the “Superfund” law. This act set up a multibillion-dollar fund to clean up toxic waste dumps. In 1986, Congress passed another law to assist communities hit by environmental disasters.

Specially trained workers spent several years cleaning up Love Canal. They capped the dumpsite with a layer of clay and pumped out contaminated water. In 1988, some areas of Love Canal were declared safe. Houses there were sold at below-market value and were quickly purchased. However, most former residents—many of whom had lost children and other family members to cancer and other diseases—refused to return. For them, Love Canal would always be a disaster that had ruined their lives.

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