The Love Canal story is essentially the story of the thousands of families who lived unknowingly amongst an abandoned toxic chemical waste dump. It wasn't the first time in U.S history where this has happened, nor was it the worst, but it did grab the public's attention.

In the 1930's before the Love Canal area was turned into neighborhoods, the Hooker Chemical Company purchased the area and used it as a burial site for 20,000 metric tons of chemicals. In 1953 the Hooker Chemical Company sold the land to the Niagara Falls Board of Education for $1.00. There was a stipulation in the deed, which stated that if anyone incurred physical harm or death because of their buried wastes, they would not be responsible. Shortly after, the land changed hands yet again and this time home building began directly adjacent to the canal. Families who bought homes here were unaware of the waste buried in their backyards.

With all the new homes in the area, an elementary school was opened near the corner of the canal in 1955. Soon after the opening, students and teache

Enger, Eldon and Smith, Bradley. Enviromental Science. New York: McGraw Hill Publishers, 2000.

rs began complaining of being burnt, nauseous odors, and black sludge (Gibbs 21). It wasn't till nearly thirty years later that the government finally decided to investigate the complaints.

Federal regulations allow new Love Canals to be built, possibly in your back yard. These new landfills must be monitored. The catch is that they are not monitored by a responsible agency, but by the guy who owns the dump. What are the chances that the guy who is making millions is going to report any problems? Government, for some unknown reason, refuses to use their authority to force the industries to properly dispose of their wastes. The underlying reason may be because they have the power and money.

Gibbs, Lois Maris. Love Canal The Story Continues.. Conneticut: New Society Publishers, 1998.

Hooker admits to burying about 21,800 tons of various chemicals in the canal. There are at least twelve known carcinogens in the canal including benzene which is well-known for causing leukemia in people (Gibbs 22). The air, soil, and water tests have found chemical migration throughout a ten block residential area. The extent of the chemical migration is still unknown.

Since the Love Canal has been deserted, the state and loca

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Approximate Word count = 895
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)