To those unfamiliar to the history of the Love Canal, its name may bring warm thoughts of romantic activities or a carnival ride. However, the truth is that Love Canal is one of our country’s most notorious hazardous waste disasters, which grabbed the attention of a nation.(Beck, 1979; University at Buffalo: The State University of New York, 1998) The advocacy of its community residents, work of the newly formed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the health outcomes of the exposed population make it a model example of how epidemiology can help us understand the health implications of such tragedies.
Background: What happened at the Love Canal?
The Love Canal is located in the La Salle area of Niagara Falls in New York State.(University …show more content…
In 1980, federal legislation known as the Superfund Law (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, or CERCLA) was created to help manage severe the environment contaminations, such as the Love Canal tragedy.(Justice, 2015; United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2016) In September 1983, the EPA listed the Love Canal on the Superfund Program’s National Priorities List and began to work with state agencies to clean up the site.(United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2016) After a tremendous amount of resources were used to clean-up and contain the area, in 2004 the Love Canal was removed from this National Priorities List, as it was deemed to no longer present a threat to human health or the environment.(United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2016) Many of the formerly abandoned homes have been rehabilitated and new homeowners are moving into the area.(United States Environmental Protection Agency, …show more content…
In the Love Canal deed from 1953, Hooker Chemical states that there are chemical waste products within the land purchase and that the school board would assume all risk and liability, including injury or death, that resulted from the presence of the industrial waste.(Eric Zuesse, 1981) Thus, the school board was aware of the nature of this land. There were also reports that during the construction of the school, pits of the chemical waste were uncovered, causing them to relocate the play areas so that they were not immediately on top of the known waste areas.(Eric Zuesse, 1981) This would add to their understanding regarding the nature of this land. And finally, in the late 1950s, the school board sold the remaining land to private developers, and over the next decade hundreds of homes were built near the Love Canal area (Eric Zuesse, 1981; New York State Department of Health, 1978). Because of the Niagara Falls Board of Education’s awareness of the chemical waste and willingness to sell it for home development, they did contribute to the overall tragedy. However, no litigation has been filed against them and most of the literature regarding this event does not place them at
Background: What happened at the Love Canal?
The Love Canal is located in the La Salle area of Niagara Falls in New York State.(University …show more content…
In 1980, federal legislation known as the Superfund Law (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, or CERCLA) was created to help manage severe the environment contaminations, such as the Love Canal tragedy.(Justice, 2015; United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2016) In September 1983, the EPA listed the Love Canal on the Superfund Program’s National Priorities List and began to work with state agencies to clean up the site.(United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2016) After a tremendous amount of resources were used to clean-up and contain the area, in 2004 the Love Canal was removed from this National Priorities List, as it was deemed to no longer present a threat to human health or the environment.(United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2016) Many of the formerly abandoned homes have been rehabilitated and new homeowners are moving into the area.(United States Environmental Protection Agency, …show more content…
In the Love Canal deed from 1953, Hooker Chemical states that there are chemical waste products within the land purchase and that the school board would assume all risk and liability, including injury or death, that resulted from the presence of the industrial waste.(Eric Zuesse, 1981) Thus, the school board was aware of the nature of this land. There were also reports that during the construction of the school, pits of the chemical waste were uncovered, causing them to relocate the play areas so that they were not immediately on top of the known waste areas.(Eric Zuesse, 1981) This would add to their understanding regarding the nature of this land. And finally, in the late 1950s, the school board sold the remaining land to private developers, and over the next decade hundreds of homes were built near the Love Canal area (Eric Zuesse, 1981; New York State Department of Health, 1978). Because of the Niagara Falls Board of Education’s awareness of the chemical waste and willingness to sell it for home development, they did contribute to the overall tragedy. However, no litigation has been filed against them and most of the literature regarding this event does not place them at