Love Canal

1
Love Canal

• Risks of Chemical Waste

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Dangers of Toxic Waste

• This case brought awareness of environmental
  issues related to chemical disposal.
• Read the articles provided by teacher
• Create a timeline of events from the article.

3
It started as a dream in 1910

• A man named William Love wanted to create
  hydro-electric power near Niagara Falls by
  digging a ditch (canal) between the 2 rivers.
• The project ran out of money before it was
  completed.
• What was left was just a big hole in the ground.

4
From Dream to Nightmare

• 1920s the canal was turned into a municipal and
  industrial chemical dumpsite.
• The Hooker Chemical Company began using the
  abandoned canal as a chemical disposal dump in
  the 1930s.
• Between 1942-1953 Hooker Chemical buried 22,000
  tons of chemical wastes in barrels.

5
1950s -- A Good Buy?

• 1953- When the site was filled, it was covered
  over with dirt and sold to the city for 1.
• Late 50s -100 homes and a school were built at
  the site.

6
1960s The Crisis Begins

• Karen Schroeder, 2nd generation resident of the
  Love Canal community, gave birth to her third
  child on November 21, 1968.

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Birth Defects

• The baby, Sheri, was born with a hole in her
  heart, which beat irregularly.
• She also had bony growths blocking her nose
• partial deafness, deformed ears
• cleft palate
• mentally retarded
• 2 rows of teeth on lower jaw
• Enlarged liver

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This isnt baby Sheri but these are babies with a
cleft palate.
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1970s Nightmare

• After record amount of
• rainfall, leaching began.
• Corroding waste-disposal drums could be seen
  breaking up through the grounds of backyards.
• One entire swimming pool had been popped up from
  its foundation, afloat now on a small sea of
  chemicals.

10
1970s Nightmare

• . Trees and gardens were turning black and dying
• Puddles of noxious substances in their yards and
  basements and on the school grounds
• The air had a faint, choking smell.
• Children returned from play with burns on their
  hands and faces.

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Chemicals coming up after lots of rain.
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Late 70s Getting Help

• October 1976- Niagara Gazette reports harm to
  humans, pets plant life.
• EPA and county health dept began to take notice
  and test soil, water, air take blood samples
  from residents.

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1978 More Help

• August 1st leading story in New York Times
• State commissioner declared a state of emergency-
  closed school ordered evacuation. (pregnant
  women and babies evacuated first)

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http//distanceunreal.comxa.com/wp-content/uploads
/2011/01/lovecanal.jpg
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1979 Calling on the Law

• U.S. Rep. Al Gore (Dem-Tennessee) charges in 1979
  that the tragedy had been avoidable. Publicized
  memo from 1958 describing burns.
• First lawsuits were filed.

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Lesson Learned

• Dangers of Toxic Waste the country learned about
  one of the worst environmental disasters and the
  disastrous impact of chemicals on the environment
  human health.

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References

• EPA website http//www.epa.gov/history/topics/lo
  vecanal/01.htm
• http//www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2008
  /11/dayintech_1121
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Canal