The Love Canal Incident - Essay Example

In an attempt to free itself from future liabilities associated with the dangerous land, the company sold the Love canal to the Niagara Falls School Board. The truth about the serious environmental pollution would emerge later in the 1970s after an extensive health survey by an investigative newspaper revealed area residents suffering from multiple mysterious diseases including asthma, epilepsy, and migraines among others.

Moreover, the rate at which miscarriages were happening in the neighborhood was appalling. Also, many children were born with defects was alarming. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter declared the Love canal incident an emergency and instructed the federal government to relocate 239 households. However, before the relocation, there was a laxity of the government to act as government officials dismissed reports about the intoxication of the area. Sadly enough, the government left out 700 households in their relocation program despite clear evidence of toxic chemicals getting close to their homes.

However, the remaining lot was later relocated in 1981 after activists mounted pressure on President Carter. The Love Canal incident symbolizes massive environmental pollution through reckless disposal of toxic wastes and its toll on human health.