Love Canal Disaster Lecture

Introduction

• Period: 1947-1952
• Entities: Hooker Chemical Company
• Location: Love Canal, Niagara Falls, NY
• Incident: Used as a dumping site for toxic waste.

Key Events

State of Emergency

• Date: Not specified, but discovery led to emergency declared by President Carter.
• Discovery: Toxic chemicals oozing from the ground.
• Significance: Triggered an environmental battle; iconic in US history.
• Government Action: Evacuated hundreds of families.
• Outcome: New laws introduced to prevent similar future incidents.
• Settlement: Occidental Chemical Company agreed to pay $129 million.

Health Impact on Residents

• Health Issues: Birth defects, cancer among residents.
• Initial Reaction: Shock and concern from residents, especially housewife learning about 20,000 tons of buried chemicals.
• Symptoms: Skin rashes, birth defects, miscarriages, odors from basements.

State and Federal Response

Testing and Recommendations

• State Action: Tested air, soil, groundwater.
• Health Department: Recommended pregnant women and children under two to evacuate.
• Identified Chemicals: 88 chemicals, 11 suspected carcinogens.

Community Response

• Formation: Love Canal Homeowners Association by Lois Gibbs.
• Media Role: Crucial in broadcasting the issue.

Government Intervention

Partial Evacuations and Protests

• Initial Evacuation: First two rows of homes evacuated by order of Governor Hugh Carey.
• Remaining Residents: Continued protests, some families lost children.
• Provocative Tactics: Burning effigies of President Carter's family.

EPA Involvement and Abnormality Findings

• EPA Preliminary Study: Indicated potential chromosomal abnormalities.
• Leak and Panic: Preliminary study leaked, resulting in emergency response.
• EPA Official Hostage Situation: Residents took EPA officials hostage temporarily.
• Outcome: Federal government agreed to evacuate all residents.

Long-Term Impact and Legislation

Superfund Legislation

• Creation: To clean up toxic waste sites; named Superfund.
• First Cases: Included Love Canal; nearly 400 toxic sites remediated due to Superfund.
• Cost and Time: Took nearly two decades and over $350 million to address Love Canal.
• Methods: Landfill capped in clay, surrounded by drainage system.

Rehabilitation of Area

• Stigma: Area tried to move past the negative image.
• Decision in 1988: Declared area suitable for rehabilitation.
• Property Sales: Refurbished homes sold below market price.
• Activist Protests: Disputed safety of rehabilitated area.

Ongoing Concerns

• 2011 Discovery: Pocket of chemical waste found during sewer repair.
• EPA Assurance: No danger from isolated pocket, leftover from cleanup.
• Lawsuits: Filed by six families claiming exposure from landfill.
• Health Studies: No conclusive link between Love Canal chemicals and long-term diseases.

Conclusion

• Legacy: Love Canal remains a symbol of environmental disaster and the ongoing battle over chemical safety.