The book, “Love Canal: and the Birth of the Environmental Health Movement” by Lois Marie Gibbs rose awareness of the hazardous effects of the Love Canal to a national level. The canal was an abandoned project of creating a man-made waterfall to supply the Niagra Falls community with renewable energy. After canceling the project, the canal was then used as land fill to dump chemical waste. A few years later, an elementary school was built on part of the canal’s surface. Both the community and children were affected drastically. Lois then became very worried about her son’s health and demanded him to be transferred. Her request was followed with a rejection, which sparked the beginning of the environmental health movement. After months of rallying the neighborhoods together, attending controversial meetings and overcoming an immense amount of stress. The residents of Niagra falls won the trial of being relocated. (148 words) …show more content…
The Love Canal had a grip on the closest residents nearest to the canal. The neighborhood residents had health problems that couldn’t be explained and some that were life-threatening to children. Michael, Lois’s son, was suffering from seizures and low white blood cells counts. Other children and adults were affected, everyone was in a panic. Another main point was the government dismissing the pleas of the people. Lois said, “The state’s word meant nothing” (pg 79). The government would not grant the relocation of the families and end the nightmare of living near a canal of death. The third main point was the long-waited approval of the relocation of families. After a period of anxiety, uncertainty and fear, the families were set free (pg 186). (150