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The Buried Record
Off Limits AmericaDeclassified EditionFile No. 0545
Nuclear & Environmental

Built On Poison

A neighborhood near Niagara Falls was built on top of 20,000 tons of buried chemical waste. Families fell ill for years before anyone would admit why.

The Love Canal neighborhood of Niagara Falls, New York was built on land a chemical company had used to bury more than 20,000 tons of toxic waste. For years, residents suffered miscarriages, birth defects, and chronic illness — while officials downplayed the cause.

Seeping Up

Chemicals leached into basements, backyards, and the playground of the elementary school built directly on top of the dump. A local homemaker, Lois Gibbs, organized her neighbors to force the government to act.

Exhibit A — What was underneath More than 20,000 tons of waste. A school built on top. Clusters of birth defects.

They built a school on a chemical dump.

The Reckoning

After national outcry, hundreds of families were evacuated. Love Canal became the case that created the federal Superfund program to clean up toxic sites.

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It took years of sickness — and a fight led by the mothers — before anyone admitted what was buried underneath.

The Verdict Is Yours

You've Seen the File.

A neighborhood and school built on 20,000 tons of toxic waste, with the danger denied for years. An oversight failure, or a cover-up?

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Love Canal
Want to go deeper?

Love Canal — Lois Gibbs

The story of Love Canal told by the resident who led the fight.

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