Love Canal
is an old canal bed near Niagara Falls, NY, that the Hooker Chemical and
Plastics Corporation used as a chemical dump from the 1930's to 1952. The
filled land was donated to the city in 1953, and a new school and a housing
tract were built on it. In 1971, toxic liquids began leaking through the
clay cap that sealed the dump, contaminating the area by at least 82 chemicals,
including a number of carcinogens. Extremely high birth defect and miscarriage
rates developed, as well as liver cancer and a high incidence of seizure-inducing
nervous diseases among the neighborhood children. The area was declared
an official disaster area. The state paid $10 million to buy some of the
homes and another $10 million to try to stop the leakage. About 1,000 families
had to be relocated. Hooker Chemical disclaimed responsibility. Portions
of the site were cleaned up sufficiently by 1990 for houses located there
to be put up for sale.
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