Love Canal Research Paper
Love Canal: Past, Present, and Future
Kenneth Osborne
Bluefield College
Introduction
Over 35 years ago, the environmental incident that would become known as Love Canal, became part of American history. This disaster showed the American public that there could be uncertainty under the very ground they walk on. Companies, like Hooker Chemical, could be managing hazardous waste properly by standards of the time. Yet, that does not mean those standards and knowledge of the chemicals underground stay the same. In this paper, we will look at a brief history of the La Salle community, how these residents were affected by chemicals that were all around them, and if this area can ever again reach a “healthy” status.
The History …show more content…
Love Canal is located between the Upper and Lower Niagara Rivers. It was the brainchild of William T. Love, an entrepreneur who was looking to produce inexpensive electricity for his industrial “city of the future” (Hoffman, An Uneasy Rebirth at Love Canal, p 6, March 1985). This idea went to the wayside once Tesla invited alternated current. This allowed for electricity to be sent over greater distances than direct current (Engelhaupt, Happy Birthday, Love Canal, p. 8179, 2008). Instead of a canal, it became a large swimming hole. Eventually, an electrochemical company, started by Elon Hooker, took over the land. Starting in 1941, Love Canal began to fill with various forms of chemical waste. There are only rough estimates for what exactly is in the landfill. According to Andrew J. Hoffman’s article “An Uneasy Rebirth at Love Canal”, there are approximately 218,000 tons of chemical wastes. Many of which were used as pesticides or in the production of pesticides. This included: 13 million pounds of lindane, 4 million pounds of chlorobenzene, and 400,000 pounds of dioxin compounds (Hoffman, p. 6). This was a very common practice, before the start of the Environmental Protection …show more content…
The combination of the chemicals make it difficult for the incineration of it. Under the Superfund regulations, destruction of the chemical waste must reach an efficiency of 99.99999% (Hoffman, p.9). This proves difficult for any dioxin material. After working in the hazardous waste industry for more than ten years, I know there is no way to reach percentage by current means.
Conclusion
As Love Canal is coming up on four decades of national attention, many things have come about from this disaster. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, or RCRA, has given teeth to the EPA. It has led to many jobs in the environmental field, including my own. It is disheartening that something so bad had to happen to cause the United States to toughen laws to protect the environment. Hopefully, we will become a more proactive, instead of a reactive
Kenneth Osborne
Bluefield College
Introduction
Over 35 years ago, the environmental incident that would become known as Love Canal, became part of American history. This disaster showed the American public that there could be uncertainty under the very ground they walk on. Companies, like Hooker Chemical, could be managing hazardous waste properly by standards of the time. Yet, that does not mean those standards and knowledge of the chemicals underground stay the same. In this paper, we will look at a brief history of the La Salle community, how these residents were affected by chemicals that were all around them, and if this area can ever again reach a “healthy” status.
The History …show more content…
Love Canal is located between the Upper and Lower Niagara Rivers. It was the brainchild of William T. Love, an entrepreneur who was looking to produce inexpensive electricity for his industrial “city of the future” (Hoffman, An Uneasy Rebirth at Love Canal, p 6, March 1985). This idea went to the wayside once Tesla invited alternated current. This allowed for electricity to be sent over greater distances than direct current (Engelhaupt, Happy Birthday, Love Canal, p. 8179, 2008). Instead of a canal, it became a large swimming hole. Eventually, an electrochemical company, started by Elon Hooker, took over the land. Starting in 1941, Love Canal began to fill with various forms of chemical waste. There are only rough estimates for what exactly is in the landfill. According to Andrew J. Hoffman’s article “An Uneasy Rebirth at Love Canal”, there are approximately 218,000 tons of chemical wastes. Many of which were used as pesticides or in the production of pesticides. This included: 13 million pounds of lindane, 4 million pounds of chlorobenzene, and 400,000 pounds of dioxin compounds (Hoffman, p. 6). This was a very common practice, before the start of the Environmental Protection …show more content…
The combination of the chemicals make it difficult for the incineration of it. Under the Superfund regulations, destruction of the chemical waste must reach an efficiency of 99.99999% (Hoffman, p.9). This proves difficult for any dioxin material. After working in the hazardous waste industry for more than ten years, I know there is no way to reach percentage by current means.
Conclusion
As Love Canal is coming up on four decades of national attention, many things have come about from this disaster. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, or RCRA, has given teeth to the EPA. It has led to many jobs in the environmental field, including my own. It is disheartening that something so bad had to happen to cause the United States to toughen laws to protect the environment. Hopefully, we will become a more proactive, instead of a reactive