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The Love Canal site began a movement vital to the field of environmental health because it resulted in the establishment of superfund sites. The Love Canal incident, located in Niagara Falls, New York, became a home to the disposal of over 20,000 tons of hazardous waste ranging from dioxin, pesticides and other organic compounds (Friis, 2012, p. 333), which we learned over the course of this class are detrimental substances not only to the environment, but to human health as well. In1942 the Niagara Power and Development Company granted permission to the Hooker Chemical Company in 1942 to dump waste into the canal. Hooker was the primary company, however, the City of Niagara and the United States Army used the site as well (Gibbs, 2008). Needless to say, there were a few responsible parties, but they were granted permission under pretenses that it would be used for the disposal of waste only. The responsibility for the allowing this national emergency falls in the primary hands of the government agency: the Niagara Falls Board of Education. The land was sold to Board of Education who blatantly ignored the “warning” of the chemical wastes buried on the property (Gibbs, 2008) and Hooker even provided a disclaimer relieving any possible liability. Negligence on behalf of the Hooker Chemical Corporation did occur, however, the true failure came about when the Board of Education decided to build a school and housing on the land without investigating potential adverse health effects of chemical waste (i.e. miscarriages, birth defects, cancer and urinary tract diseases (Friis, 2012, p.334).

Back in the 1970s, the concerns and complaints started to rise, and the city did nothing to protect its residents, except cover the substances with dirt and add a few window fans in homes that contained high levels of chemical residues (Gibbs, 2008). Residents were suffering and many organizations and agencies came about during this time frame (i.e. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Love Canal Homeowners Association, Love Canal Parents Movement, etc.). Although, there is speculation as to why the New York State Department of Health didn't interfere sooner, ultimately, the Board of Education doesn't report to the State Department of Health. It is a separate entity, yet they are both government agencies that share in the responsibility to safeguard the people one way or another. The responsible parties did pay their dues, but no amount of money can heal the terrible experiences these citizens faced. Both the Hooker Chemical Corporation and the City of Niagara Falls paid more than $20 million to the former residents of the Love Canal Site; and additionally, more than $200 million was paid to the New York State and the federal government for cleanup of the site (p.334). One positive result is the development of a superfund, administered by the EPA, which sustains regulations that hold liable parties accountable for their actions when it comes to environmental threats. Since 1970, the EPA has been responsible for handling incidents like in the case of the Love Canal.

Lastly, Ms. Gibbs (2008) made a great point that the Love Canal is not the only the severe situation that this country has faced. In reality, chemical wastes and emissions occur every day, which many of us have selected different threats and written about them throughout this class for our final papers.

References

Friis, R. H. (2012). Essentials of Environmental Health. Burlington, MA: Jones and

Bartlett Learning.

Gibbs, L.M. (2008). History: Love Canal: the start of a movement. http://www.bu.edu/lovecanal/canal/