A town where rocks burst into flames. That sounds like the start to a sci-fi epic. Yet Paradise Falls: The True Story of an Environmental Catastrophe by Keith O’Brien is no piece of fiction. It takes place in the very real town of Niagara Falls, New York. Although small, Niagara Falls is famous for two big things. The first—the enormous cascading waterfall of the same name which borders the town. The second—the worst public health crisis of its time and, consequently, the driving force behind the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund program.
Image of a Home in Niagara Falls, New York
[Source: Politico]
Children playing outside on a warm summer day—this is how readers are introduced to the neighborhood of eastern Niagara Falls. But that picture changes rapidly as Paradise Falls tells the story of how the community of Niagara Falls discovered the tremendous amount of toxic waste upon which their homes, businesses, and school were built and the events that followed. The book spans the decade-long environmental and public health emergency and the battle for a safe living environment.
Beneath the eastern part of Niagara Falls was an old forgotten waterway, Love Canal. Or, it was forgotten by most. The owners of the chemical company that was the biggest employer in Niagara Falls, Hooker Chemical, remembered Love Canal. Throughout the 1940s, Hooker Chemical dumped tons of toxic waste into the canal—out of sight, out of mind. Hooker Chemical then filled and sealed the canal in the 1950s and sold the land to the school district for the cost of one dollar, with the stipulation that the school district wouldn’t hold Hooker Chemical responsible for anything that may occur due to the buried chemicals (chemicals which they ‘forgot’ to mention in the first place).
Those chemicals remained hidden, little known, for nearly twenty years. There were stories of children blinded after playing with rocks in the playground or the strong pungent smell that wafted through the neighborhood. But these signs were ignored, intentionally or otherwise, until the 1970s. That is when Paradise Falls picks up.
The personal stories woven into Paradise Falls are what make it a captivating read. Some are devastating—such as that of the Kenny family who lost their youngest son, Jon Allen, due to chemical exposure. His illness quickly spiraled, leaving the Kenny family in despair and angry as doctors were unable to do anything to help. Some stories are inspiring, like Beverly Paigen’s role as a whistleblower at a research institute that was part of the New York State Department of Health. Paigen raised the alarm about abnormal rates of illness in Niagara Falls, even as her colleagues and bosses tried to sweep it under the rug. Beverly Paigen offers an inspiring story about putting your career, and even life, on the line. Paradise Falls also makes sure to have Lois Gibbs—one the most famous environmental health activists to come out of the Love Canal crisis—as one of the central figures of the book. Throughout all of Paradise Falls, the stories of the women who fought for their communities and neighbors fill the pages.
While weaving together these narratives, Paradise Falls also addresses the inequities and discrimination that played a large part in the story. As women were the leaders of the demand for safety in Niagara Falls, sexism didn’t fall far behind. Readers follow battles against the then governor of New York, Hugh Carey, who refused to take the concerns of “housewives with no scientific training” seriously. Paradise Falls also addresses the disparities around which activists’ voices were uplifted and which were suppressed, as white homeowning activists garnered much more attention than their Black or brown renting counterparts.
Paradise Falls tells the story of the community of Niagara Falls which fought for the right to knowledge and a safe home. It reads more as a harrowing account of a town in crisis than a dull recollection of historical documents. It lays out a complex history in short paragraphs with quippy lines that keep the reader engaged. From alarmingly high rates of miscarriages and cancer to governmental hearings, readers follow a number of individuals and the struggles that united them. Paradise Falls goes in-depth into the story of Niagara Falls and how it has changed the United States forever, as the severity of health impacts combined with the strength of activists led to the creation of the Superfund program by Congress and raised awareness that sites like Love Canal were not rare. Paradise Falls also leads the reader to ask important questions they may have never had to ask before, such as what human-made threats exist beneath their feet? Paradise Falls brings to the forefront how the legacy of industrialization has poisoned countless communities and what our current actions might mean for future generations.
The small town of Niagara Falls, thanks to the perseverance of many activists, was able to change the role of the U.S. government in addressing dangerously contaminated sites. It serves as a lesson in the power of many voices and how a group fighting for the right to a safe environment can result in massive change.