love canal chemical waste landfill (niagara falls, n.y.)

"From the New York Times best-selling journalist, the staggering, hidden story of an unlikely band of mothers who discovered the deadly secret of Love Canal, and exposed one of America's most devastating environmental disasters. Lois Gibbs, Luella Kenny and Barbara Quimby thought they had found a slice of the American dream when they and their families moved onto the quiet streets of Love Canal, a picturesque middle-class hamlet by Niagara Falls in the winter of 1977, the town had record snowfalls, and in the spring, rains filled the earth with water like a sponge and the basements of the neighborhood's homes with a pungent odor. It was the sweet, synthetic smell of chemicals. Then, one by one, the children of the more than 800 families that made Love Canal their home started getting very sick. In this propulsive work of narrative reportage, Keith O'Brien uncovers how Lois, Luella, Barbara and other local mothers uncovered the poisonous secret of Love Canal: that they were living on the site where industrial employer Hooker Chemical had been dumping toxic waste for years, and covering it up. O'Brien braids together the previously unknown stories of Hooker Chemical's deception, the local newspapermen and scientists who tried to help, the city officials who didn't, and the heroic women who stood up to corporate and governmental indifference, and-ultimately-triumphed. O'Brien paints a vividly how their dauntless efforts would capture the American imagination at the time and form the foundation of the modern environmental movement"--.

Contains captioned, archival photographs and maps that provide insights into the history of the Love Canal neighborhood in Niagara Falls, New York.

"Human modification of the environment always carries a risk of accident and folly. Explore the causes and consequences of the Love Canal disaster of the 1970s in Niagara Falls, New York. Guided by compelling questions such as, 'What led to this disaster?,' 'Who was impacted by it?,' and 'What changed in its aftermath?' the interdisciplinary content blends social studies and science. Ultimately, it pushes students to consider how humans can meet their need for resources in a safe, sustainable way. Books include table of contents, index, glossary, author biography, and timeline"--Provided by the publisher.

The family of Dirk Burnaby, a New York State lawyer representing victims of Love Canal, and his wife, Ariah, whose first husband widowed her on their wedding night by jumping into Niagara Falls, is pulled apart by Dirk's obsession with his case and Ariah's fear that her history will repeat itself.

Uses the multi-viewpoint technique featured in the classic Japanese film "Rashomon" to examine the events of Love Canal, a New York neighborhood that came to national attention after it was discovered it was contaminated by hazardous waste left behind by the Hooker Chemical Company.

Traces the history and eventual cleanup of the ecological disaster known as Love Canal, which resulted from building a neighborhood over a chemical dumpsite that poisoned the environment and endangered the health of residents.

A color-illustrated overview of the Love Canal disaster that describes the dumping of toxic waste that the Hooker Chemical Company performed for years in the Love Canal neighborhood of Niagara Falls, New York; the subsequent costs to residents' health; and residents' efforts in the 1970s to prompt help from the U.S. government.