NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WKBW) — Residents from several Niagara and Erie County neighborhoods have come together to address concerns about radioactive and toxic contamination, calling on the state to designate their properties under Superfund, hosted by Save Our Backyards.
A community meeting in Niagara Falls brought together environmental advocates, attorneys, and people who have lived through environmental crises, including Love Canal and the impacts of the Goodyear plant to discuss what they want to see done next.
"The dumping is still happening in certain areas. It's so widespread throughout Niagara County and into Erie County, so we hope to bring awareness," Carolyn Johnson said.
Johnson lived near Love Canal during its active years.
Tuesday night's focal point was the McKiernan family. Daniel and Jocelyn McKiernan are parents to three boys under the age of 7. After moving to Western New York in the summer of 2020, the family learned this summer that industrial waste had been present on their property, discovered during an excavation to install a pool.
"In the sump pump, we also found legacy constituents from the Love Canal, Alpha-BHC, γ-BHC, Dieldrin, and a slew of other heavy metals that are not supposed to be in groundwater," Daniel and Jocelyn McKiernan said.
After making that discovery, the couple researched the impacts of those chemicals and how exposure may have been affecting their family over the last 6 years.
"Our family has experienced 5 miscarriages in the last 2.5 years. Our oldest son, who is severely disabled, he cannot walk, he can't talk, he can't do any of those things, developed a seizure disorder. Our youngest has experienced a series of rashes, 12 ear infections, a ruptured eardrum, and our middle child really struggles with neurological symptoms," Daniel and Jocelyn McKiernan said.
NAACP Niagara Falls Branch President Renae Kimble is encouraging residents to email Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin at zeldin.lee@epa.gov to promptly relocate the McKiernan family.
"Anyone who is suffering through toxins such as were exposed during Love Canal need to be relocated, especially with three young children. They deserve better. They should not be exposed to these types of toxic issues," Kimble said.
Also at the meeting that took place a the Frontier Firehall in Niagara Falls, was Luella Kenny, who, like Johnson, lived near Love Canal while it was active.
"My 7-year-old son died because he played in our backyard that had 32 parts per billion of dioxin in it," Kenny said.
Kenny has been raising awareness for more than 40 years since her son's death.
"At the time, I had urged that they not resell all those homes, and I also urged what is very annoying is that they try to hide it. The signs just say private property, no trespassing. They don't want you to know that there's Love Canal there," Kenny said.
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