Letter: Love Canal analysis flies in face of facts

<p><strong>To to editor:</strong></p><p>I read Craig Ladwig’s column published Nov. 2 in the Daily Journal titled: Yes, there’s a study of cascading stupidity. In it, he discussed several things amongst which was &quot;evidence&quot; that the Love Canal tragedy in New York was an example of overreaction by the media.</p><p>He mentions a woman described as a &quot;local hysteric&quot; was able to stampede her neighbors in the Love Canal area to imagine they were being poisoned, the media jumped in and yadda yadda yadda, it became a big deal. He says a toxic leak was found that was so small it did not constitute a health threat.</p><p>The Love Canal disaster is rated by Time magazine as the fourth worst environmental disaster in the world. Mr. Ladwig seems to believe the tragedy of Love Canal is an &quot;unscientific assertion.&quot; </p><p>In the late 1950’s, about 100 homes were built on the former site of a chemical company. The company had covered its toxic waste with dirt and left town. In 1978, the EPA Journal described such sites as &quot;ticking time bombs.&quot;</p><p>Shortly thereafter, the EPA reports that barrels of toxic waste began pushing up through the ground in the Love Canal area. Trees and gardens were turning black and dying. An entire swimming pool had been pushed out of the ground by toxic waste. Puddles of toxic waste were found above ground and children were getting burns on their faces and hands at the playground. Birth defects and miscarriages were rising.</p><p>The citizens of Love Canal were evacuated from their homes.</p><p>Mr. Ladwig’s presentation of this situation as it being so small as to even constitute a health threat flies in the face of the facts.</p><p>We need better information than what is presented, especially from someone affiliated with an organization having input to public policy.</p><p><p><strong>David Heidenreich</strong></p><p><p><strong>Greenwood</strong></p>