Hooker Chemical Corporation's full-page newspaper ad on Love Canal: Report on press briefing held at the Buffalo Statler Hilton

Hooker Chemicals & Plastics Corp.

Advertising, Newspaper

Mass media and propaganda

Hazardous waste sites

Love Canal Chemical Waste Landfill (Niagara Falls, N.Y.)

Full page newspaper ad with bold, large headline text at the top reading:
"ON MARCH 15TH, HOOKER HELD A PRESS BRIEFING AT THE BUFFALO STATLER HILTON. HERE'S A REPORT."
The content is divided into multiple columns with subheadings, including "Here’s What We’ve Been Doing," "The Love Canal," "The Hyde Park Program," "What’s at 102nd Street?", "Hooker’s Niagara Plant," "Multi-Million Dollar Pollution Control Programs," "3,500 Groundwater Samples," "The Way Ahead," and "What Else Needs to Be Said?"
The lower right corner contains the word "HOOKER" in bold, followed by the slogan "Listen to the people who know." The overall appearance resembles a public relations or informational release from the Hooker Chemical Company, addressing environmental and community issues.

Ploughman, Penelope, 1955-

State University of New York at Buffalo. University Archives

State University of New York at Buffalo. University Libraries

1979-03-19

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eng

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Text

MS100.495

2009-01-28

Love Canal Images. LIB-003

Penelope D. Ploughman Love Canal Collection. MS100

On March 15th, Hooker held a press briefing at the Buffalo Statler Hilton. Here’s a report.

Every one of man's activities produces waste of one kind or another. Whether we're driving a car, washing clothes or eating dinner, we produce wastes that can pollute our air, our water or our land. The production of chemicals is no exception.

Solving the industrial disposal problem isn't simple. Hooker has been working for many years at the Niagara plant on ways to handle chemical wastes without harming or - damaging the environment.

HERE’S WHAT WE’VE BEEN DOING.

1. Reducing the volume of wastes. We have been doing this by redesigning our chemical processes to improve efficiency and produce less waste. We are also recycling materials to extract more chemicals the second time around. This also reduces waste. The second concept is to destroy certain toxic wastes bv incineration. This has the advantage of being an immediate solution as it does not involve either moving bulk materials or maintaining a land disposal site.

2. As far back as 20 years ago, Hooker realized that burying liquid wastes was not the ideal method of disposal. It appeared that the only way to break down some chemicals was with heat, but the problem was that many of these chemicals were so stable, even when heated, that they were used to make fire-retardant fabrics and plastics. The Hooker engineers persisted, however, and eventually developed a high temperature incinerator that could break down the toxic liquids. This major technological breakthrough is a patented process and has been used by others as well as by Hooker.

Since the incinerator was put into operation in 1961, more than 170,000 tons of toxic liquids have been destroyed, thus reducing the burden being placed on chemical landfill sites. Over the years many improvements have been made and we are now working on a process to destroy toxic solid wastes.

3. These programs have achieved dramatic reductions in volume over the past few years. Of course, we must be careful to ensure that we do not create an air pollution problem when we neutralize solid or liquid wastes.

This is an important part of our “project independence” in which we are trying to become self-sufficient in all aspects of waste disposal. The importance of this subject can be judged from the fact that chemical waste disposal from our Niagara plant alone costs us $200,000 each month. Some landfill sites, however, will still be necessary. Some chemicals or materials, such as fly ash, cannot be readily destroyed by heat and must be buried.

4. In addition to reducing chemical waste and as a further indication of Hooker’s concern for the environment and the need to conserve energy we are building the largest privately-owned energy-from-waste facility in the USA. With an investment of more than $70-million, the plant will burn municipal garbage from Niagara and Erie counties and convert it into steam and electricity for use in our manufacturing operations. As a side venture, the company will also recycle steel scrap. The plant is scheduled to begin operation in the Spring of 1980.

CHEMICALS & TOXICITY

Normal everyday activities expose people to many chemicals which could, in greater concentrations, be considered toxic. The harmful components of cigarette smoke have been detected in blood samples of non- smokers who have been breathing the air in a large room previously used by smokers. Nail polish remover and many household cleaners produce vapors that could present risks to some people.

We have made great progress in our technical capability to detect minute, trace quantities of chemicals. As an example, we are now able to detect trace elements as minute as one part per trillion. In other weirds, we can identify and measure the vapors from a single drop of gasoline in a space the size of Rich Stadium.

That will give you some idea of the magnitude of the task facing the New York Health Department. It is one thing to trace minute quantities of chemicals; it is another thing entirely, to decide what effects these traces have on living organisms. This is why the Department is intensifying its research into the problem and why it recently issued these statements with regard to Love Canal:

"We cannot say with certainty that the higher rates found...are directly related to chemical exposure but the data do suggest a small but significant increase in the risk of miscarriages and birth defects. Although the magnitude of the additional risk to this population is indeed small, prudence dictates that we take a most conservative posture to minimize even that small additional risk."

The Department said that studies to date did not document any increased incidence of liver disease, except among residents of the first two rings of homes which have been evacuated, nor was an increase noted in abnormal blood problems, except for some cases of iron deficiency anemia which were described as being fairly prevalent among the general population. The Department also said there was no evidence of toxicity related to exposure to benzene, a known cancer-causing agent. The data also failed to produce evidence of excess neurological disorders, including epilepsy, or cancer among current residents of the Love Canal area. The Department is continuing to collect and evaluate data.

THE LOVE CANAL

The Love Canal was considered an ideal site for chemical residues and other wastes, when it was used. It was in a sparsely populated area and the soil was impervious clay. At the time, it was not anticipated that the materials placed in such a site would leak out. Today's technology shows us how to make such a site even better. In addition to an impervious clay cap over the site to keep out the rain and snow, a drainage tile system is installed around the site to collect any liquid that might otherwise seep out, and a monitoring system to warn of any potential hazard.

The Love Canal situation has been presented bv some as an example of corporate disregard for the environment. But does this charge stand up to the facts? Let’s see.

When Hooker acquired the Love Canal as a landfill site, it had two ideal characteristics The ground was impervious clay which prevented the chemicals from draining away, and the whole area around the canal at the time Hooker began using it was sparsely settled.

The sections of the canal we used were isolated as needed. The chemical wastes that had been hauled to the site in drums were then placed either in the old canal bed or a new excavation, and covered with several feet of the clay material.

By 1952, the Board of Education of the City of Niagara Falls wanted the site for a school. As a result of the School Board's persistence, Hooker deeded the property in 1953 on condition that the deed include a clause warning of the past use, and under which the School Board assumed the risk for any damage that might result from the buried chemicals.

The school was built adjacent to the central portion of the canal, the northern part was deeded to the City, and the southern portion eventually sold to a private developer in spite of a warning by Hooker management against construction on the site. With the school came the houses and soon the whole area had been developed, but no homes were built directly on the Love Canal property.

Sometime over the years after Hooker deeded over the property, the clay covering was disturbed, apparently during the construction of homes or roads in the area. Water seeped into the canal and it gradually filled up just like a bathtub and overflowed. The water mixed with chemical wastes, producing a liquid called leachate which seeped into some basements of houses built on adjacent properties.

Engineering consultants were called in and a plan of remedial work was established by local governments in the southern section in cooperation with State agencies. The program was to install a tile collection system on each side of the canal and to channel leachate into an underground tank from which it is pumped through a charcoal filter. Finally, the treated water is sent to the City waste treatment plant. After installation of the drainage tiles, a clay cover was laid to help prevent further formation of leachate.

Although the property was not under Hooker control for 25 years, the company committed to help fund the engineering studies and also offered to contribute up to one-third of the original estimated total cost of the remedial work in the southern section. Hooker is continuing to provide technical assistance on these programs.

The State authorities were concerned that the chemicals may have leaked out through the bottom of the canal into the groundwater. To check this, wells have been drilled on each side of the canal down into the bedrock. To date, no traces of chemical resi¬dues have been detected, but the water was found to contain Sulfide which occurs naturally throughout the area and makes the water unfit for drinking.

THE HYDE PARK PROGRAM.

Another area that has received a great deal of attention is the Hyde Park landfill site located in an industrialized section of the Town of Niagara. The site was acquired by Hooker in 1953 and received the chemical and other wastes from the Niagara plant after the Love Canal site was closed.

During 1974 and 1975, the portion of the site used for burial of chemical wastes was closed out in accordance with plans reviewed by the State. A clay cap about two feet thick was installed, as was a leachate collection system. Leachate is collected in a holding lagoon for off-site disposal.

New State and Federal regulations since introduced will require a thicker clay cap and an improved drainage tile system on all new chemical landfill sites. While these regulations do not presently apply to old sites no longer in use, Hooker already has voluntarily upgraded the Hyde Park site at the request of the State. In 1978, additional clay was placed over the entire site and a more efficient drainage system installed. This program also included improved pumping stations and a leachate collection pond. To date, building permits authorizing us to complete these facilities have not been granted by the Town of Niagara.

Another part of the Hyde Park program was to determine if any chemicals were leaking into the groundwater. To do this monitoring, wells have been installed to different depths. The program is being conducted in cooperation with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Department of Health.

The natural drainage channel for this entire area is called "Bloody Run." There are signs of chemicals present in Bloody Run that have led us into a sophisticated program to determine their nature, source and extent. An accelerated testing program developed with various agencies is expected to provide analytical data as quickly possible. The program also includes surveying and contour mapping and the identification of pollutants that may be present in sediment. Soil samples at various depths will be taken over a wide area. The company already has reported finding trace quantities of dioxin in sub-surface sediment.

In addition, we have sampled the water from the wells of the three residences in the area. Health authorities have said that the water is unfit because of a high bacteria content, possibly attributable to household septic systems in the area. We are expecting to complete our testing of the Bloody Run area by June, so that a possible plan of action, if necessary, can be submitted to the DEC for approval by July, 1979.

WHATSAT 102ND STREET?

The third site is known as the 102nd Street Landfill. The property acquired by Hooker in the 1940’s lies south of the Love Canal and is adjacent to the Niagara River. When we later acquired the Niagara Alkali and Oldbury Electrochemical companies in the mid- 1950s, we also acquired their landfill operations in the same area. Hooker now owns property from Griffin Park, which was the site of a former municipal landfill, and extending eastward to another industrial landfill site. Some chlorinated organic chemicals have been deposited at the site, but the majority of the material deposited there was inorganic wastes that are generally insoluble in water and should not pose a hazard.

The site was closed in 1972 in accordance with a plan approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and responsible State and local agencies. A wall was built at the water’s edge and clay and soil were placed over the whole site.

In 1978, in cooperation with the DEC, we developed a site survey plan and a well drilling program to determine the flow of groundwater and the extent of any possible chemical migration. This program will be started this summer, the test samples analyzed, and any necessary remedial action will be submitted for approval so that any required work may start early in l980.

HOOKER’S NIAGARA PLANT.

Aerial photographs taken 1938 showed the Niagara River shoreline at the plant to be very different from what it is today. Over the years, land was reclaimed from the river by the use of fly ash, slag and municipal waste This land was purchased by Hooker in 1947 and became known as the "N" and "S” areas. The sites were used by Hooker for the disposal of chemical residues, and afterwards as a staging area where drums of wastes were collected prior to being sent to landfills.

The "S" area is located across the sheet from the City’s water treatment plant. It should he emphasized, how¬ever, that the water distributed to the homes in Niagara Falls is regularly tested by City and State agencies and has been found to be a better quality than most cities In the U.S.

In the Summer of 1978, the City sent divers down into the shore shaft of the water treatment plant on a routine inspection and maintenance check. A sediment sample brought to the surface was analyzed and found to contain various chemicals, some of which are made by Hooker. The problem then was to identify how the chemicals could have reached the treatment plant.

Recent excavations at the water treatment plant were examined but no trace of chemical contamination was found. We are now in the process of drilling and installing test holes around the Niagara plant and the water treatment plant in an effort to determine the flow of groundwater and to discover the possible source and route of the chemicals. Even old unused sections of the water treatment plant have been tested, but no more chemicals haw been discovered. Again, it should be pointed out, that the water supply is being regularly tested and continues to maintain a high level of quality and purity.

3,500 GROUNDWATER SAMPLES.

Testing simples is a very complex, time-consuming operation. There are very few laboratories in the country with the equipment or the expertise to do the reliable and rigorous analytical work necessary. Our own test laboratories are working at capacity. So, to keep the program moving, we are using other qualified laboratories as far away as Wisconsin, Texas and California to do the very complicated analyses.

In the first quarter of 1979, alone, we will analyze over 3,500 samples of groundwater from four disposal sites. During 1979, we estimate that we will be spending $1 million just for sample analyses. This figure includes not only tests at the landfill sites, but also the regular testing of the water discharges into the river after it has been used for indirect cooling at our Niagara plant.

THE WAY AHEAD.

The program that we have just discussed was made necessary by actions that were taken many years ago. These actions were not irresponsible. Some of our actions, with the benefit of hindsight, may have had a negative effect on the environment. Government regulations are only now being developed on the whole complex subject and are not expected to be adopted until 1980. Meanwhile, we are moving ahead with program designed to meet the standards of the future.

One of the first federal programs was the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) under the Clean Water Act. This is a permit system governing the discharge of effluent into navigable waters. Our Niagara plant is periodically examined by State officials and pollution control devices and elaborate monitoring aids are installed to ensure that the discharge limits of specific chemicals named in permits is not exceeded.

As an example, the cooling water used in the plant is discharged at five locations. The permit not only regulates properties such as temperature and suspended solids, but also limits the quantity of specific organic chemicals. Individual chemicals of special concern are limited to about 2 lbs. total, which is like trying to find the proverbial "needle in a haystack" in the more than 50,000,000 gallons of water used in our plant every day.

MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR POLLUTION CONTROL PROGRAMS.

A spill control program is designed not only to try and prevent spillage of dangerous chemicals but to contain any spills until they are cleaned up. Dykes are built around all possible spill locations and sumps are being constructed to collect the chemicals that might accidentally leak out. The chemicals can then be pumped out for proper disposal. This has been coupled with an extensive education program at the workplace to prevent spills and a stepped-up equipment maintenance program. The total cost is about $3 million and is being spread over a three-year period. About one-half of the work has already been done.

New processes and equipment are constantly being developed to be more energy efficient, cleaner to operate, require less maintenance and to improve the product quality, and to help maintain Hooker’s competitive position.

There were, however, some chemical processes that could not be modified sufficiently to meet the new environmental quality requirements at costs that would permit us to compete in the marketplace, and these have been closed down.

WHAT ELSE NEEDS TO BE SAID?

We’ve given you the substance of what we told local reporters on March 15th.
Maybe you'd like to know more about us or want to give us your own views on what we had to say.

If so, drop a line to Jim Green in Public Relations. His address is 345 Third Street, Box 728, Niagara Falls, NY 14302.

Hooker. Listen to the people who know.