9 Love Canal Homes For Sale; No Guarantees

A state agency today put nine homes up for sale near the Love Canal chemical dump and said the neighborhood bought up by the government in the 1970s is safe--but with no guarantees.

The homes have been rigorously tested and are as safe as any in Niagara Falls, said William L. Broderick, executive director of the Love Canal Area Revitalization Agency.

But he said it was impossible to guarantee that the toxic chemical leaks that once drove 2,500 people from the neighborhood would not recur.

“There’s no written guarantees going to be given,” Broderick said at a news conference at his agency’s offices about 500 feet from the site of the toxic dump. “All we have is the written assurance of the state Health Department and the state environmental department as to the maintenance of the canal.

“If there is a problem in the future, I’m sure the state will come back and do as they did last time.”

The homes are just a few blocks from the canal bed where Hooker Chemical Co. dumped dioxin, PCBs and other toxic chemicals in the 1940s and ‘50s.

James E. Carr, the agency’s planning director, said tours of the homes will be given for the next 20 days to interested buyers. The agency plans to start accepting offers Sept. 5.

Eight years ago, the idea that anyone would want to move back to Love Canal was so preposterous that it became a joke in the movie “Tootsie.” In it, Dustin Hoffman’s character considers taking a part in a play called “Return to Love Canal.”

But more than 200 people, including several former residents, have expressed interest in the small, single-family homes. Asking prices of $40,000 to $60,000--about 20% less than comparable homes elsewhere--stimulated interest.

Many prospective buyers said they believed the danger from the 22,000 tons of chemicals still buried there has been overstated.

“The canal went right through my back yard. As kids, we used to go back in those fields, mow them down, play baseball,” said Gail McClinsey. “I’m fine, and I have two children. They’re fine. I keep in touch with some of the friends I grew up with. They’re fine.”