Introduction
The Love Canal project performed near the Niagara Falls led to an environmental disaster that had various health effects to the population that lived in the love canal neighborhood. The project conducted by the hooker company involved dumping of the company’s chemicals to a partially dug canal off the Niagara River (Thomson, , 2015). The government sanctioned the project done from 1942 to 1953, and during this period of operation, the canal had up to 21000 tons of toxic chemicals. This led to environmental risks to the neighborhood. Attempts by the hooker company to fill the canal were fruitless as the effects had already occurred (Phillips, 2007).
The issue was made public by investigative magazines who conducted surveys on the neighborhood during the 1970s. Public activism led the president to declare a state of emergency in love canal neighborhood and the eventual evacuation of over 800 families. The love canal project results in various health issues including; birth defects, spontaneous abortions, among other effects to the neighboring population (Ploughman, 2013). This present essay will critically analyze the environmental risks posed by the love canal and the chances of the safe reoccupation of the love canal neighborhood taking into considerations the measures that have since been taken to prevent reoccurrence of a similar disaster.
Effects of the Disaster
Health Effects
The chemical wastes from the love canal found their way to the neighborhoods when the rains began; this happened through overflows and leaching. The rest was health effects to the population around this area. For example, various surveys conducted around the neighborhood showed that the local community was experiencing higher rates of miscarriages as compared to other locations around the state of New York (Ploughman, 2013). It was followed by numerous abortions and birth defects; children were born with deformations at a higher rate than the surrounding regional rates. According to Love Canal - Public Health Time Bomb (2006), the number rate of children born with defect was 13 defects per 100, this was high compared to 2 defects per 100 births prior to the love canal incident. On the other hand, also, the rate of abortions in the love canal are increased to 24 abortions per 100 pregnancies compared to 9 abortions per 100 pregnancies prior to the love canal incident. The health issues experienced by the people living in love canal were as a result of exposure to contaminated underground water from the canal.
According to Telvock (2016) the EPA also indicated chances of high cancer cases in the area. From its research, it showed a 1 out of 100 people chance of getting cancer for the people who resided in the neighborhoods of the love canal. However, this research has often been criticized since not many cases of cancer death have occurred for the residents of love canal since (Thomson, 2015). Other health research conducted by the EPA indicated chromosomal damage among the people who volunteered to be tested as well as high white blood cells which were an indication of the leukemia conditions among the residents (EPA, 2016). Apart from the high health risks and concerns for the love canal residents, the people also experienced minor health issues for example; abdominal pains, eye and skin irritations and epilepsy conditions. All these effects were associated with the exposing to the contaminated water in the love canal.
Environmental Issues
According to Newman (2016), on the love canal landfill, analysis on the area indicated the presence of more than 400 types of chemicals in the area. Some of the chemicals could not be decomposed, and they posed an environmental effect especially to the fertility of the soil around the love canal (The World's Worst Man Made Accidents: Love Canal, 2016). Some chemicals take many years to be decomposed completely and until then, they may be a source of pollution to the ground. A reduction in soil fertility around the love canal could have resulted in a decline in the green cover that could, in turn, lead to desertification of the area. Also, these chemicals posed a significant risk to the underground water around this area (Thomson, Health and Environmental Politics in the United States: A Historical Perspective, 2013). This is due to the contamination it could cause if the water from the canal reached some of this underground water sources. For example, during the rainy season, the water found its way to the neighborhoods through seepage and lead leaching (Love Canal: A Special Report to the Governor & Legislature: April 1981, 2006). This indicates that the canal posed a threat to the nearing water sources such as lakes, dams, and rivers. The toxicities water could have posed a threat to the marine life in these water bodies.
Current Environmental Conditions
Reoccupation Safety
Since the evacuation of the love canal residents in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the love canal has been under environmental cleaning. The neighborhood was placed and the Superfund by the environmental protection agency (EPA). The cleanup included removal of the chemicals dumped in the canal or containing the chemical in one area that could not allow leaching of the chemicals (Hamblin, 2016). This cleanup exercise has been capped with drainage systems that treat the canal. For better reoccupation, also, some of the abandoned homes have been renovated while the homes nearest the canal have been sold to investors to build light industries in the area. However, in 2012, the area was reclassified as a Superfund area after traces of soil and air contamination were found in the area. These have not stopped reoccupation of people into the area (Telvock, 2012). Today many of the people who live in the love canal help in the cleaning of the canal.
Prevention of Reoccurrence
Following the environmental disaster that happened in love canal, various prevention measures were put in place to ensure similar occurrences did happen. One of the notable measures include the laws such as comprehensive environmental response enactment, and the compensation and liabilities acts like the Superfund. The comprehensive environmental response is instrumental in identifying areas ad projects that may result in an environmental disaster hence curbing it early enough (Rinfret, 2014). The super fund, on the other hand, is essential in funding environmental clean-up processes in areas that pose an environmental threat to the public (EPA Superfund Program, 2016). For instance, after the terrorist attacks on the world Trade Center, the Superfund was critical in ensuring the resulting debris did not result in and environmental disaster.
Apart from the laws enacted by the government, the cleanup process in love canal provides that the chemicals dumped in the area do not cause any further environmental threat. This is achieved by containing the recovered debris in impermeable holes that could allow the contents to leak (Love Canal residents campaign for clean environment, New York, USA, 1978-1980, 2011). These measures are crucial since the area has not been declared safe after its reclassification into the Superfund by 2012.
Conclusion
The love canal disaster was human-made, and it resulted in various health effects to the residents and environmental effects to the love canal region. Among the health effects included; birth defects, spontaneous abortion, and miscarriages in the region, high rate of cancer threat among other issues. Environmentally, the project had pollution effects to the soil and water in the surrounding areas. The toxic wastes also contributed to air pollution. The relocation of the residents was significant to pave the way for clean-up exercises. The incident considered health hazard was placed under the superfund from the federal government. However, although various clean-up activities have been done, in the area, the area is still considered not completely safe for reoccupation. The area was again placed under the superfund in 2012 resident’s health issues believed to be as a result of the effects of love canal incident.