Hooker Chemical buried 21,000 tons of toxic waste — then sold the land for $1

From 1942 to 1952, Hooker Chemical Company dumped approximately 21,800 short tons of chemical byproducts into Love Canal, an abandoned canal in Niagara Falls, New York. The waste included caustics, alkalines, fatty acids, chlorinated hydrocarbons, and dioxin — byproducts from manufacturing dyes, perfumes, and solvents for rubber and synthetic resins. In 1947, Hooker bought the site outright.

In 1953, Hooker sold the 16-acre site to the Niagara Falls City School District for $1. The deed included a disclaimer about the buried chemicals and a liability limitation clause, but Hooker did not disclose the full extent or danger of the contamination. The school district built a school on the site, and homes were developed nearby. The clay containment was breached by construction of sewers, a highway, and homes.

Heavy rains in the 1970s caused chemicals to surface in basements and yards. Residents reported strange odors, black substances, and health problems including miscarriages, birth defects, and cancer. Reporter Michael Brown of the Niagara Falls Gazette broke the story in 1978. Homeowner Lois Gibbs organized the Love Canal Homeowners' Association. New York Health Commissioner Robert Whalen declared a state of emergency, and President Jimmy Carter declared a federal health emergency — the first ever for a man-made disaster.

The total cleanup cost $400 million. Occidental Petroleum, which had acquired Hooker, agreed to pay $129 million in restitution to the EPA and $25 million to New York State. Occidental was found negligent but not reckless. The disaster directly led to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA, the Superfund Act) in 1980. Love Canal was the first entry on the Superfund list and was deleted in 2004 after 21 years of remediation.