Dubbed chinas love canal, the toxic scandal of changzhou foreign languages school in east chinas jiangsu province hit media headlines. Jan 11, 20 construction of the love canal began in the 1890s. Along the way, they helped launch the modern environmental movement. The profound and devastating effects of the love canal tragedy, in terms of human health and suffering and environmental damage, cannot and probably will. The landfill was covered with soil in 1953, and houses and an elementary school were built on the area immediately adjacent to the landfill. Love, a man who planned to dig a short canal between the niagara rivers that would supply power to his model city. And, by the 1970s, the love canal became the site of one of the most appalling and worst environmental disasters in american history.
Thirtyfive years after love canal became the symbol of the dangers of toxic waste in residential neighborhoods, the story has resurfaced. Residents say love canal chemicals continue to make them. The love canal incident became a symbol of improperly stored chemical waste. Part 1 posted on january 11, 20 by justin ripple the comprehensive environmental response compensation and liability act also known as cercla or superfund has changed the landscape of legal precedent and liability in cases of environmental contamination. The profound and devastating effects of the love canal tragedy, in terms of human health and suffering and environmental damage, cannot and probably will never be fully measuredwe cannot undo the damage that has been wrought at love canal but we can take appropriate preventive measures so that we are better able to anticipate and hopefully prevent future events of this kind. Love began building a canal to connect the niagara river to lake ontario. Love canal was a neighborhood in niagara falls, new york. The project was initially designed to bypass niagara falls, but financial backing was lost with only a mile of the canal completed. Bergholtz creek to the north and the niagara river onequarter mile 400 m to the south. If and when individual assistance money is approved for this disaster, it will be displayed here. Salernos lawsuit points to an incident in 2011, when a pocket of love canal waste was discovered under a sewer line outside the site.
The love canal was simply unfit as a container for hazardous substances, poor even by the standards of the day, and now, in 1977, local authorities were belatedly finding that out. The love canal covers 36 square blocks in the far southeastern corner of the niagara falls, in new york, along what is now known as 99th street. Love canal declared clean, ending toxic horror the new york. Mar 18, 2004 the removal of love canal from the superfund list will be mostly symbolic. As early as the fifteenth century, long before the beginning of the industrial revolution, london was already being plagued by noxious air pollution resulting from the burning of coal and wood. The us love canal disaster and its legacy china dialogue. The story of love canal begins back in the 1892 when a visionary named william t. This is a video i made on the central case study of the love canal, for an environmental science project. The us govt introduced the superfund as a direct response to the love canal disaster in new york state, an event that resonates strongly in china in the wake of similar incidents image by w. Request pdf love canal tragedy the purpose of this environmental failure case study paper is to provide educational materials for environmental. Some eightyfour years later, however, the canal became a symbol of the threat of toxic chemical wastes to human communities and the environment, and love canal became a. As early as the fifteenth century, long before the beginning of the industrial revolution, london was already being plagued by noxious air. Heck, the company didnt even want to sell the land until it was threatened with legal action to acquire it.
In the late 1950s homebuilding began directly adjacent to the love canal landfill. This study of toxic waste disaster at love canal as a behavioral phenomenon is. Love canal university archives university at buffalo. Over the next six years, more than 20,000 metric tons of chemical. He presented his scheme as an ambitious housing project to include a park, a hydroelectric plant and housing for 1 million people. After spending many years abandoned, the niagara power and development company granted the love canal to hooker electrochemical company in 1942 as a place to dump. Residents say love canal chemicals continue to make them sick. Clean up of love canal, which was funded by superfund and completely finished in 2004, involved removing contaminated soil, installing drainage pipes to capture contaminated groundwater for treatment, and covering it with clay and plastic. Toxins were discovered in the area in 2011, and new residents have. Oct 18, 2006 love canal had its waste properly stored underground with impermeable clay. Love proposed that a canal be built to facilitate the generation and.
Report prepared by new york state department of health. Anyway, i dont want to drag this out, but it seems pretty obvious that in this case the cause of the tragedy was the school board and not the chemical company. The love canal disaster one of the most famous and important examples of groundwater pollution in the u. Clean up of love canal, which was funded by superfund and completely finished in 2004, involved removing contaminated soil, installing drainage pipes to capture contaminated groundwater for treatment, and covering it. Nov 25, 20 love canal and its mixed legacy video thirtyfive years after love canal became a symbol of the dangers of toxic waste in residential neighborhoods, the legal and medical issues there are still. Prior to public awareness of the environmental and health hazards occurring across the united states, radioactive waste was nonchalantly dealt with as medical conditions were. New york chemical waste, love canal em3066 incident period. Love canal neighbourhood, niagara falls, new york, united. Love canal and the poisoning of america the atlantic. May 30, 2016 love canals residents organized, protested, and kept their story in the media for a year. The love canal the love canal disaster which resulted in a myriad of genetic mutations in upstate new york from 19791981 prompted civilian unrest and protests nationwide. A year later, the company purchased the canal and turned it into a largescale industrial landfill. Only one prior study examined cancer incidence in former residents of the love canal neighborhood lc. The emergency declaration areas 4 to 7 was declared habitable for residential use.
The significant effect of love canal concern was the creation of the comprehensive environmental response, compensation, and liability act. It just happened to sit atop 21,000 tons of toxic industrial waste that had been buried underground in the 1940s and. A case study of love canal environmental sciences essay. The toxic waste at love canal transformed the small suburb of niagara falls, and raised questions that still resonate today. The removal of love canal from the superfund list will be mostly symbolic.
Love canals residents organized, protested, and kept their story in the media for a year. Love abandoned the project after an economic depression, leaving behind a partially dug section of the canal, sixty feet wide and three thousand feet long. Protection agency, on his visit to love canal, august 1978. Love canal homeowners association lcha was established in august of 1978 to give the community a voice in the decisions made during the love canal environmental crisis. The area gained its name from the late nineteenth century entrepreneur william t. In the late 1950s, about 100 homes and a school were built at the site. This video also demonstrates how emotional the love canal incident was, and will hopefully give you insight as to what the events were like for love canal residents. One of the most famous and important examples of groundwater pollution in the u. Center for health, environment and justice at the time of the first evacuation order in august of 1978, the state established the love canal interagency task force to coordinate the many activities undertaken at the canal. The case study is conducted on the love canal contamination issue which triggered the environmental alarm of united state at 1970s. Landfills can of course be an environmentally acceptable method of hazardous waste disposal, assuming they are properly sited, managed, and regulated. History of fema responsibility for response to technological manmade emergencies gc97125 cumming march 30, 1979, began the incident at threemile island nuclear power station, a nrc licensee. The love canal became the first manmade disaster to receive such a designation based on a.
Love canal introduction degradation of the environment resulting from human activity is certainly not a phenomenon of recent origin. University at buffalo libraries 433 capen hall buffalo, ny 142601625 7166452965. Love proposed connecting the upper and lower niagara river by digging a canal six to seven miles long. It is important because the pollution disaster at love canal, along with similar pollution calamities at that time times beach, missouri and valley of drums, kentucky, helped to create superfund, a federal program. Love canals notorious history began when hooker chemical co. If you are interested in more detailed information, a longer interview with lois gibbs is provided below. This seriously contaminated site came to public attention in 1978. The love canal was originally planned as a model city and dream community along the eastern side of niagara falls, ny. Love canal and its mixed legacy video thirtyfive years after love canal became a symbol of the dangers of toxic waste in residential neighborhoods, the legal. The love canal homeowners association love canal homeowners association lcha was established in august of 1978 to give the community a voice in the decisions made during the love canal environmental crisis. The canal was turned into a municipal and industrial chemical dumpsite. Cleanup work at love canal has been completed, more than two decades after the environmental disaster forced the evacuation of an entire neighborhood and led to. Love, a businessman and visionary who in the late nineteenth century attempted to create a model industrial city near niagara falls.
Love proposed to connect the upper and lower niagara rivers by digging a 7mile canal between them. The habitability study divided the area into seven parts. It is also the name of a fifteenacre, workingclass neighborhood of around 800 singlefamily homes built directly adjacent to the canal. The canal was to provide water and hydroelectric power for the city of niagara falls, new york. August 07, 1978 emergency declaration declared on august 07, 1978. Case study the love canal disaster biology libretexts. The love canal tragedy about epa us epa epa web archive. Love proposed construction of a manmade canal that would ultimately link the niagara river to lake ontario, providing water and hydroelectric power for the model industrial city. The love canal refers to one of the most tragic environmental manmade disasters in the worlds history. The principal company that dumped waste in the canal was hooker chemical. Sep 22, 2016 the canal was turned into a municipal and industrial chemical dumpsite. He presented his scheme as an ambitious housing project to include a park, a hydroelectric plant and housing for 1.
The love canal was a rectangular 16acre, 10ftdeep chemical waste landfill situated in a residential neighborhood in niagara falls, new york. The love canal refers to a neighborhood in the southeast lasalle district in the town of niagra falls, new york and houses just over 70,000 residents epa fact sheet, 2000. Aug 05, 2018 salernos lawsuit points to an incident in 2011, when a pocket of love canal waste was discovered under a sewer line outside the site. In september 1988, doh issued love canal decision on habitability september 1988 44 page pdf, 1. In april 1945, a hooker engineer wrote in an internal memo that love canal was a quagmire which will be a potential source of lawsuit. The love canal site is a 16acre landfill located in an abandoned power canal originally excavated in about 1894 by william t. Lcha membership consisted of approximately 500 families living within a 10block area surrounding the love canal landfill. From 1942 to 1953, the hooker chemical company, with government sanction, began using the.
The increasing appearance of visible seepage, noxious smells and. In the spring of 1978, lois gibbs, a local housewife, read a local newspaper story and discovered she was living a few blocks way from some 20,000 tons of toxic waste buried in an old landfill, located in the center of the love canal community. Love canal is an aborted canal project branching off of the niagara river about four miles south of niagara falls. The love canal area was originally the site of an abandoned canal that became a dumping ground for nearly 22,000 tons of chemical waste. Love canal and its mixed legacy the new york times. In 1978, love canal, located near niagara falls in upstate new york, was a nice little workingclass enclave with hundreds of houses and a school. From 1942 until 1953, hooker chemicals and plastics corporation now occ disposed of over 21,000 tons of various chemicals in the canal. History of fema responsibility for response to technological. Love canal will always remain a perfect historical example of how not to run such an operation. Hooker chemical and love canal by tom beauchamp the history of love canal love canal is named for william t. It just happened to sit atop 21,000 tons of toxic industrial waste that had been buried underground in the 1940s and 50s by a local company. It is a cruel irony that love canal was originally meant to be a dream community.