In the years 1940-1950, The Hooker Chemicals and Plastics Corporation used a canal in Niagara Falls, New York, as a dumping ground. The company disposed of toxic chemicals; including polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxin and pesticides. This land was then covered with fill and sold to a developer. A housing development was built on the chemical dump in the 1970s. Residents of the area began to experience various health issues. The government did not begin investigating and relocating families until 1978. The site was evacuated and cleaned up as much as possible.
The settlements were done through The Occidental Chemical Corporation, who purchased Hooker Chemical and Plastics Corporation in the 1960’s. A $20,000,000 settlement was arranged for 1,300 …show more content…
One account of a woman, Ann Hillis, who lived in the Love Canal was distraught over her son’s illness. He had been diagnosed with a rash and bronchitis. She was certain that the environment was the reason behind her son’s illnesses. The doctor would not declare that the illness was anything other than that. The boy and her mother were stuck in their contaminated home because he was said to have been contagious and was forbidden to leave. Hillis then took her son and left her home anyway, and demanded that the state should pay for their moving expenses. After this happened, other women came together to try and defend their …show more content…
This can be blamed on the exposure to toluene. Toluene is an organic hydrocarbon commonly found in household cleaning products. This chemical is a commonly abused inhalant. Studies concluded that mothers that abused this chemical as an inhalant had issues in their pregnancies. Instances such as spontaneous abortion, premature birth, and retarded growth have been documented.
Research was done using rats with exposure to toluene to investigate the validity of birth defects. Three groups of rats were exposed to the same level of toluene during mating, gestation, and both. Researchers observed weight reductions in the fetuses that were exposed during the pregnancies. In both mating and gestational groups, skeletal soft tissue deformations were observed (Bowen 2006).
The Love Canal tragedy was disturbing and sad. People will forever carry these affects and potentially pass them along to their children. Families that were involved in this tragedy will never be normal again. Mothers that lost babies due to the chemical exposure will never be the same. Clean-up efforts of similar areas have been brought to action by the CDC to prevent another incident like
The settlements were done through The Occidental Chemical Corporation, who purchased Hooker Chemical and Plastics Corporation in the 1960’s. A $20,000,000 settlement was arranged for 1,300 …show more content…
One account of a woman, Ann Hillis, who lived in the Love Canal was distraught over her son’s illness. He had been diagnosed with a rash and bronchitis. She was certain that the environment was the reason behind her son’s illnesses. The doctor would not declare that the illness was anything other than that. The boy and her mother were stuck in their contaminated home because he was said to have been contagious and was forbidden to leave. Hillis then took her son and left her home anyway, and demanded that the state should pay for their moving expenses. After this happened, other women came together to try and defend their …show more content…
This can be blamed on the exposure to toluene. Toluene is an organic hydrocarbon commonly found in household cleaning products. This chemical is a commonly abused inhalant. Studies concluded that mothers that abused this chemical as an inhalant had issues in their pregnancies. Instances such as spontaneous abortion, premature birth, and retarded growth have been documented.
Research was done using rats with exposure to toluene to investigate the validity of birth defects. Three groups of rats were exposed to the same level of toluene during mating, gestation, and both. Researchers observed weight reductions in the fetuses that were exposed during the pregnancies. In both mating and gestational groups, skeletal soft tissue deformations were observed (Bowen 2006).
The Love Canal tragedy was disturbing and sad. People will forever carry these affects and potentially pass them along to their children. Families that were involved in this tragedy will never be normal again. Mothers that lost babies due to the chemical exposure will never be the same. Clean-up efforts of similar areas have been brought to action by the CDC to prevent another incident like