When considering pollution and its effects, it’s likely that air and water pollution are at the forefront. Indeed air and water pollution have been the cause of many human deaths and illnesses over the years, let alone the effects to animals and water borne creatures.

However, not only have humans managed to pollute the air they breathe and the water they drink, they have also successfully managed to pollute the land they live on. Every day we produce millions of tons of waste that gets dumped into landfill sites worldwide. Much of it is not biodegradable and will stay there indefinitely. More worrying is the toxic waste material that has been dumped into landfill sites and then covered over.

Land Pollution

The Love Canal tragedy, close to Niagara Falls, so named because the canal was originally devised by William Love in the 1920’s, is possibly the most famous land pollution incident recorded in the U.S. The canal was never finished and eventually became a landfill site for industrial waste, much of it toxic. The site was filled by the 1950’s and covered over. Houses and a school were subsequently built on the site, all unaware of the dangers lurking underground as containers holding the chemical waste corroded and leaked.

In 1977 substantial rainfall fell on the area. It resulted in toxic pollutants appearing in school playgrounds, back yards and even homes. Over the following years studies have shown that these toxic pollutants have been responsible for birth defects and many other severe illnesses.

The effects of the Love Canal tragedy did mean that in 1980 the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act was enacted which was the very first federal law to address land pollution.

However, with money the prime objective, developing countries have been willing to buy toxic waste from developed countries and dump it in their own landfill sites. It doesn’t solve the problem, it simply moves it to someone else’s backyard; it just happens to be on the other side of the world.

Recent Pollution Disasters

– In Bhopal, India lethal gas was released into the air in 1984 from a chemical plant. It killed thousands almost instantly and the ongoing effects continue to kill people to this day.

– In Alaska the Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground in 1989 and leaked 11 million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound. While it is not the largest oil spillage, it is considered to be the worst from an environmental aspect and even in 2004 Prince William Sound was still trying to clean-up.

– Nuclear power has long been considered a pollution time bomb and accidents such as Chernobyl in the Ukraine and Three Mile Island in the U.S. are prime examples of why there are great concerns about the so called benefits of nuclear energy. The recent Japanese tsunami which caused several nuclear reactors to go into meltdown possible drives the message home farther.

– The British Petroleum oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico in early 2010 was another pollution disaster from which the surrounding area is yet to recover. It released millions of gallons of crude oil into the ocean.

Visit Beacon Hill Associates for mopre information on insurance for demolition contractors and our main website for more on environmental issues and coverage.

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Author Bio: Visit Beacon Hill Associates for mopre information on insurance for demolition contractors and our main website for more on environmental issues and coverage.

Category: World Affairs
Keywords: Environment, Insurance, Business