The history of Love Canal’s environmental disaster, the landfill on which an entire neighborhood was built

The story of Love Canala residential area of ​​the town of Niagara Falls (State of New York, USA) is a perfect example of malagestation of waste and possible risks for the environment and people. The channel that gives its name to the neighborhood was imagined by William T. Love already in 1890, and Built at the beginning of the 1900s To equip the city with a source of hydroelectric energy: The project was however abandoned when, with the affirmation of the alternating current, the need to produce energy a short distance from the industries. Excavations were used by the public administration and local industries for Interior the waste urban and industrial. From the second post -war period, however, the construction of a school near the canal led to the construction of thehomonymous residential neighborhood. In the following years the citizens lived without their knowledge in contact with the landfillwith occasional problems such as strong smells of chemicals during heavy rains. A study by 1978 He highlighted the scope of the environmental disaster, also bringing huge consequences on citizens’ health.

The William T. Love channel and the bankruptcy of the project

Already in 1832, the area of Niagara Falls had been identified for the construction of a navigable channel Among the lakes Ontario and Eerie, in the north-east of the United States: according to the opinion of government technicians, the leap of almost 100 meters in the area (famous for its majestic waterfalls) could have been also exploited as a source of hydroelectric energy.

Fifty years later, entrepreneur William T. Love the proposal resumed And he made the basis of his personal American “dream”: the Foundation of a modern industrial cityfueled by the water of the large lakes. In an era in which the electricity grid it was still based on the current continues, The proximity between industries and energy infrastructures was in fact very important.

Between 1893 and 94 the first construction works of the canal started, but two important events quickly marked their destiny: a heavy one economic crisis and the advent of the alternating currentstrongly driven by innovations such as the studies of the Nikola Tesla, able to provide energy at greatest distance exploiting high voltages.

The works were quickly abandoned, But the part of the channel already built was converted in the 1920s a dump of urban and industrial waste. Among the industries, the Hooker Electrochemical Company (today called Western Chemical Corporation) he downloaded about 21000 tons of dangerous chemicalsstored in barrels that quickly began to lose. The landfill, of about 65 thousand square meters, in the following years was covered with sheets and undergroundwith the construction of a collection system for sewage.

The residential neighborhood and the discovery of contamination

In 1953, the area was granted in use at the Niagara Falls Board of Education, which built one elementary school and favored the development of a residential neighborhood of about 100 homes. Already in the 1960s, citizens reported, on the occasion of strong rains or snowfalls, the appearance of smells “chemists”; over the years ‘70 The aquifer was the level. And the contamination became even more evident, with toxic waste that emerged on the surface. Several samples revealed toxic compounds, such as the dioxinsin the sewers and streams of the area.

In 1977, an extensive Study of the APA (Environmental Protection AgencyAuthority for the defense of the environment) also highlighted the presence of benzene and other organic compounds (carcinogen for humans or animals) in the ground, in the water and in the air of the neighborhood, as well as in basements of dozens of homes adjacent to the channel. The results led the then President Carter to declare The emergency situation in 1978, allocating funds for the reclamation of the area and it displacement of the residents.

The effects on residents

Already in 1978 epidemiological studies left on 250 families and later, ex-residents moved to other states were also included: in total they were Blood champions analyzed by more than 2800 individuals.

Given the ascertained presence of substances such as Toluene, benzene and chlorinated solvents, and knowing the potential health risks, the study focused on 3 possible consequences prolonged exposure to pollution from the channel: spontaneous abortions, flaws of the development of the fetus and liver functionality. The levels of mercury in the blood of citizens were also analyzed, for the suspicion of a further contamination then excluded.

The number of abortions in the local population was to be of 1.5 times higher of the US average. Going into detail, however, it was discovered that the inhabitants of the area immediately south of the canal were particularly affected, with an incidence of spontaneous abortions of 3.45 times higher in the pregnant women between 30 and 35 years of age. The number of flaws of the fetus also showed a greater concentration in the area south of the canal.

The displacement of the area and reclamation works

During the first safety and remediation works of the area, citizens were temporarily accommodated in hotel structures by Niagara Falls. The American federal body for the management of emergencies (Femacomparable to Italian Civil Protection) was in charge of theexpropriation of land and ownership of about 950 families (starting from those closer to the landfill or with pregnant women) and by purchasing them at a market price to encourage the raise of citizens.

The sewage of the landfill were drained, treated by making them praised and finally filtered with coal activatesthe. The site came thesolar with covers of clayeyable to reduce the ability of polluted waters and organic substances to move towards the surface. In the 1980s, the cleaning of channels, sewers and local water bodies continued, such as the Bergholtz Creek and the Black Creek, from which they were almost removed 10 thousand cubic meters of land.

The removal and treatment of land, for incineration or in landfill, lasted until March 2000: since then, every five years an evaluation of the state of the area has been carried out, to verify the status of the reclamation works and the containment of pollutants. The use of water slopes for human consumption it is still prohibited in the neighborhood.

There Hooker Company It was involved in a series of battles linked with citizens and the state of New York and only in 1995 An agreement was reached for the figure of 129 million dollars to cover the expenses incurred by the institutions.