by the Environmental Protection Agency

About the author: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the government agency responsible for implementing and enforcing pollution regulations on industry and individuals.

At Love Canal [an old canal bed in Niagara Falls, New York], over 21,000 tons of chemical wastes were deposited in a landfill. The landfill closed in 1952, and was then covered over the next year. Over time, a community grew around the abandoned landfill. Under the old scenario of “out of sight–out of mind,” that should have been the end of the story.

However, more than two decades later, increasing numbers of Love Canal residents began complaining of health problems, including chronic headaches, respiratory discomforts, and skin ailments. Residents also noticed high incidents of cancer and deafness. The State of New York investigated and found high levels...