Love Canal: Environmental Disaster

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A beautiful city, Niagara Falls in the state of New York, ruined by careless decisions of the city of Niagara Falls and The Hooker Chemical Company. Families suffered and died from several of diseases cause by toxic waste that was place underground near homes and schools. A mother, Louis Gibbs who lived near the Love Canal said, “ When I brought this American dream home my son was one and very healthy. Then he started to get very ill and experiences some liver problems, asthma, and then epilepsy. I could not understand, they came one after another, until I read a series written by Mr. Michael Brown, who explained that the Love Canal has toxic waste underneath the neighborhood school and it leaches in resident homes.” She continued on by saying, “I did not know anything or anyone else knew that the toxic waste was underground. Why sell homes if they are danger to people health?” Most people would think that environmental disaster occurred by accident, but this one happened quite differently. However, the Love Canal is one of the most devastating and well-known environmental injustices because the residents were unaware of the hazard and abandoned toxic waste.

It all started from the dream of a man William T. Love, who had great brilliant plans for the city Niagara Falls, New York. His plan at that time was to design a beautiful community with inexpensive electricity for a million of people to live. (Case Study: 6 Love Canal) The electric power would travel seven miles through the Upper Niagara region before dropping two hundred feet down the Niagara Falls. (Gibbs) Unfortunately, Mr. Love plans failed in a year because of the depression and not enough resources to complete his project. He had every opportunity to achieve his goa...

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...om another environment disaster.

Works Cited

Work Cited

“Case Study: 6 Love Canal” Online Ethnic Center for Engineering 20 July 2006

National Academy of Engineering Accessed: Friday, April 29, 2011

DePalma, Anthony, and David Staba. "Love Canal Declared, Ending Toxic Horror."

The New York Times. New York Times, 18 Mar. 2004. Web. 26 Apr. 2011.

Gibbs, Lois. Interview by Joel Shufro. Left Forum 2010: Lois Gibbs. Web. 27 Apr.

2011.

Gibbs, Lois Marie. "Love Canal: Start of a Movement." Boston University. Boston

School of Public Health, May 2002. Web. 27 Apr. 2011.

In Our Own Backyard: The First Love Canal. Dir. Lynn Corcoran. Perf. Lois Gibbs.

1983. DVD

"The Love Canal Tragedy | EPA History | US EPA." US Environmental Protection

Agency. Jan. 1979. Web. 25 Apr. 2011.

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