8/30/10 Catalyst

 1.) What caused the toxic waste to begin being pushed to the surface?
After the blizzard of 1977 and heavy rain, there was an early spring and early thaw and all the water under the canal was forced up to the surface past the clay. An infrared scanner showed where the chemicals had spread to so they had an idea of where it spread to. The canal was 40 acres of land, so the chemicals spread a far distance.


2.) What are some of the health hazards associated with the chemicals dumped there?
Over 400 chemicals were found in the area of the Love Canal. The chemicals caused central nervous system problems and caused birth defects. When they found this out, everybody got scared because they wanted their families to be safe and healthy. One of the solutions to help contain the chemicals was to tear down the 99th street school and houses near by and put them over the canal. Then they placed a linen cover, then a plastic cover to help keep the rain out and from pushing the chemicals up again.


3.) Besides humans how are other parts of the ecosystem affected by this? 
Not just humans were effect in this process. Some of animals in the area may have drank the water or ingested some of the chemicals making them very sick or even killing them. The birds who may have bathed in the water probably died because of the toxic chemicals they were bathing in.