Selection 23 Summary

this selection from Beverly Paigen's Controversy at Love Canal discusses the scientific and political aspects of hazardous waste controversies most notably the Love Canal incident. She found that the

controversy surround love canal was more a political matter than a scientific one. there is many known hazardous waste sites that pose a threat to communities. In 1942 the hooker corporation dumped hazardous waste in love canal and filled it in. Hooker corp. later sold the land to the board of eduction and developers who in built housing and a school over the hazardous wastes. People began to get sick and send complaints to the Niagara falls department of health who took no action. When action was finally taken only the houses directly on top of the waste site was evacuated. The other families were told they were fine despite many signs the chemicals were spreading past the area declared unsafe. she then explains the scientific processes she took to evaluate the cause of sickness in the community surrounding Love canal. she devised a questionnaire which would help her locate the sick. if the sick were clustered in families it was genetic, if it was clustered geographically it was the chemicals and if was random it had no relation to the chemicals. she found that illness were clustered in areas where there used to be waterways. Only pregnant and those with children under 2 years of age were evacuated. She then explains her elements of controversy. On faction may benefit from not resolving the controversy. New York state would lose money resolving the love canal controversy. Factions may not agree on what questions need to be answered. the commissioner focused on the effects on fetus health while the community wanted to know if they were all in danger. No one faction should be in control of all the information gathering. The research at love canal by the health department was kept secret to the general populace. minority opinion can not be cast out and ridiculed. scientists working for the state were harassed and demoted for disagreeing with the official stance. Scientists should follow social controls on behavior for the advance of knowledge and to detect error. All factions should agree on the facts that need resolving. there was failure to do this at love canal. She concludes by saying that when controversies arise scientist should follow the fundamentals of their profession, community insight and funds should given to communities to hire their own professionals.

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