In 1978, Love Canal, located near Niagara Falls, sat on top 21,000 tons of toxic industrial waste that had been buried underground in the 1940s and '50s by a local company.
Numerous families were displaced from their houses, which had been contaminated with chemicals and toxic waste. Many of the families suffered several health issues with common problems of high red blood cell counts and indications of leukemia.
The entire neighborhood has since been demolished and a Superfund cleanup was only wrapped up in 2004, the fund helped pay for the cleanup of toxic sites.