Detail on the “Finals” Video on the Study Guide Page The First Five Minutes – Key Context & Significance

What Happened at Love Canal in 1978? located near Niagara Falls a nice working-class enclave with hundreds of houses, and a school… atop 21,000 tons of toxic industrial waste that had been buried underground in the 1940s and '50s by a local company. What Happened at Love Canal in 1978?

By 1978, the problem of waste bubbling into backyards and cellars was overwhelming Hundreds of families sold homes to the federal government and evacuated Led to the formation in 1980 of the Superfund program, which helps pay for the cleanup of toxic sites. Love Canal Tragedy

Cuyahoga River Fire(s) Cleveland – major industrial center, kept heavy industrial ops even as rest of nation’s interest in pollution-intensive industry waned in the 1960’s On June 22, 1969, around 12pm, floating pieces of oil-slicked debris were ignited on the river by sparks caused by a passing train. 

The Cuyahoga River was once one of the most polluted rivers in the US, catching fire a recorded number of thirteen times starting in 1868.  The most potent blaze occurred in 1952 which caused over $1.3 million in damages however, the most fatal fire happened in 1912 with a documented five deaths.  The 1969 fire, which did not incur maximum damages or fatally wound any citizen, was the most covered incident occuring on the river.  This was in part because of the developing precedence that sanitation held over industrial actions; the United States was becoming more eco-aware.  Also, due to the shift from industry to technology, and waste dumping to waste recycling, Time Magazine produced an article about the incident.  This brought massive attention to the Cleveland area, and added pressure for hygienic regulation.

As Fed Gov’t Started to Regulate, (EPA) Industry Balked – Viewed as Restraint on “Free Trade”

3M Goes Against the Flow of Industry Resistance

“Waste is a sign that a business is hemorrhaging”