Crisis at West Valley 5 : Present and Future Concerns
Radioactive waste disposal in the ground -- New York (State) -- West Valley
Radioactive waste sites -- New York (State) -- West Valley
Reactor fuel reprocessing -- New York (State) -- West Valley
The following videos show progress made in cleaning up the West Valley radioactive waste site. They include the solidification of the high level liquid waste that had been in underground tanks and the demolition of contaminated buildings. They also include the on-site storage of high and low level radioactive waste and the removal of some of this waste from the site. Since the mid-1970s citizen watchdog groups including experts in the field of nuclear waste have expressed concern about the health, safety and environmental issues involved in the storage and management of nuclear waste at West Valley as well as the subsequent efforts to clean up the site. In 2020, decisions still must be made on how much nuclear waste can be left in trenches, holes, tanks and the below-ground portion of the building that once reprocessed spent nuclear fuel rods. Watchdog groups continue to express concerns that the site itself is on rapidly eroding plateaus surrounded by creeks that drain through the Seneca Nation of Indians into Lake Erie. They warn that there is a potential for this erosion to reach the underground nuclear waste and release long-lasting dangerous radioactive materials into the Great Lakes. VIDEOS 1. Huge steel lined concrete casks provide on-site storage of high level radioactive glass logs converted from liquid waste at West Valley. 56 casks holding the high level waste are stored above ground on the property of the West Valley Demonstration Project site. They sit on a reinforced concrete slab until they can be shipped out to a national nuclear waste repository yet to be named. The casks each hold five canisters containing the glass logs which will remain highly radioactive for thousands of years. Each cask weights close to 90 tons. The high level waste needed to be removed from the plant at West Valley so building demolition could take place. [“HLW Progress Video” produced by DOE contractor CH2M HILL BWXT WEST VALLEY, LLC. ; 7/7/2016 ; Runs: 1:58] 2. Transporting highly radioactive building material from West Valley to Texas. When U.S. Department of Energy Took over West Valley site it had to solidify 600,000 gallons of high level radioactive waste. The process, called vitrification, turned the liquid into glass like rods. While the solidified high level waste is still stored on-site at West Valley, the equipment used for the vitrification process then had to be safely packaged and disposed of off site. Each of three vessels containing highly radioactive dismantled parts from the “Melter” were loaded onto special trailers with 130 tires. They were then transported from West Valley, through neighborhoods, to the rail yard in Blasdell, New York. The giant containers were then taken by rail to waste control specialists at a site in Andrews, Texas. [“Melter Shipment “ Video” produced by DOE contractor CH2M HILL BWXT WEST VALLEY, LLC. ; 12/14/2016 ; Runs: 3:57] 3. Resident records radioactive waste from West Valley rolling through his neighborhood. A citizen reacts to a huge vessel containing dismantled parts from the “Melter” being transported through his neighborhood. He provides a short narrative along with what he captures on video. [Posted on YouTube by “Robert” ; October 26, 2016 ; Runs: 1:36] 4. Second radioactive waste transport video posted on YouTube by “Robert”. A week after recording the first transport of radioactive waste through his neighborhood, “Robert” posts a second video showing how the special trailer carrying its radioactive load, negotiates the crossing over railroad tracks. [November 2, 2016 ; Runs: 2:33] 5. Demolition of radioactive buildings begin at West Valley. Demolishing the building where high level liquid radioactive waste was turned into a glass like substance - This radiological demolition requires continuous monitoring and specialized equipment. Continuous air monitors provide a real time read out for the protection of personnel on-site as well as the public and the environment. Citizen watchdog groups have strongly recommended that real time off-site monitoring of the air take place when demolition of the Main Processing Building is carried out. (See Requests by Citizen Watchdog Groups below.) [“VIT DEMO V4” produced by DOE contractor CH2M HILL BWXT, WEST VALLEY, LLC. ; 12/19/2017 ; Runs: 4:28] 6. The decisions that will impact generations to come. This presentation produced by Diane D’Arrigo summarizes concerns by citizen watchdog groups and environmental experts who have been tracking developments at the West Valley nuclear waste site since the mid-1970s. Using original photographs and graphics, she presents the history of radioactive wastes at the site and concerns about the present and future storage of this hazardous material. Ms. D’Arrigo is a native of Western New York who now serves as the Radioactive Waste Project Director of the Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS). She has been with NIRS since 1986 and has a degree in chemistry and environmental studies as well as work experience in analytical chemistry and biological research. [NARRATED SLIDE PRESENTATION produced by Diane D’Arrigo, Radioactive Waste Project Director/Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS) ; 5/18/2020 ; Runs: 20:25] Request by Citizen Watchdog Groups In 2006 the West Valley Action Network was created, comprised of local, state, regional, and international organizations. This network is pushing for a full cleanup of the West Valley nuclear waste site as soon as possible. It is providing public oversight for demolition, cleanup, and storage operations. The state and federal governments have commissioned a $4.3 million-dollar assessment study to determine the best way to proceed for the final cleanup phase. The study could take two to three more years to complete (2022-2023). As final plans are made, the Action Network is insisting on full disclosure of all information and assumptions used by the Department of Energy and the New York Energy Research and Development Authority to make decisions. The Network has also requested that a searchable electronic library be created to facilitate independent review of details. The next big physical challenge as of 2020 is the demolition of the main building where the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel rods took place from 1966 to 1972. The Action Network has called for the U.S. Department of Energy to provide the region with comprehensive real-time monitoring and reporting of the air — before, during, and after the demolition of the highly contaminated Main Plant Processing Building. One of the Action Network organizations, The Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS), has issued warnings about the potential spread of radioactivity in the air and water downstream and downwind of the West Valley site. NIRS is an activist organization that supports renewable energy and opposes nuclear power. Diane D’Arrigo, a Western New York native who serves as the Radioactive Waste Director for NIRS, says the Main Plant Building may be “the most intensely radioactive building in the nuclear power and weapons fuel chain…” She points out that the D.O.E. and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, the state agency responsible for the fifteen-acre burial site, “refuse to monitor offsite in real time…” She says, “The general population and local government officials are entitled to know if radioactivity has contaminated the air as the massive cleanup effort continues.” D’Arrigo warns that “some of the radioactivity from the West Valley site will stay radioactive for hundreds, thousands, millions of years--so the contamination is irreversible. Some long-lasting radioactivity from West Valley operations between 1966 and 1972 has been detected throughout Western New York on land and in water as far as Lake Ontario.” During the time the plant was active, there was a spill in the basement. Strontium 90, among many radioactive isotopes, made their way from the basement into the ground water. A radioactive plume is now a quarter of a mile long. The Department of Energy has used Zeolite, a special kind of clay, to absorb the radioactive material. This “interceptor wall” is 900 feet long and 20 feet deep. However, Joanne Hameister, a research analyst who has spent forty years representing the public’s interest at West Valley, notes that water has a way of rerouting itself. She believes removing the source of the leaking Strontium and the contaminated soil would be a better solution, although very costly. “If the plume keeps on moving,” she says, “it can hit a bunch of creeks. That plateau is loaded with creeks. They all lead into Buttermilk Creek, which drains into Cattaraugus Creek, which drains into Lake Erie. That is right around the corner from Sturgeon Point, where Erie County gets its water. Strontium 90 takes three hundred years to decay to levels that are more difficult to detect. Right now, there are no plans to remove the earth or massive network of pipes under the Main Processing Building when demolition is carried out. Hameister says she is also concerned about the workers who will take part in the project. “That place is hot. There has to be a lot of worker protection.” She also wants assurances there will be some kind of protective covering over the building while it is being dismantled. “They’ll be chopping up walls,” she says. “They have to monitor the excursion from the site during that process. You just don’t want that stuff flying around.” In addition, there is concern that soil erosion resulting from floods in 2009 is making its way closer to the trenches where radioactive waste is buried. Future flooding, say members of the West Valley Action Network, could potentially threaten releases of radioactive elements into brooks and creeks that eventually feed into Lake Erie. The Department of Energy installed an “armor wall” in 2019 to slow down the erosion. Hameister says the wall was installed without public input, which she says was a violation of the legal agreement between the Coalition on West Valley Nuclear Wastes and the Department of Energy. She questions whether there might be other issues to which the public isn’t aware. Response by U.S. Department of Energy (5/8/2020) Brian Bower/West Valley Demonstration Project Director, DOE The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Environmental Management is continuing to make safe and steady progress with decommissioning activities at the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP). After successfully completing the solidification of 600,000 gallons of high-level radioactive waste (HLW) liquid into a highly durable glass material in 2006, the focus of the Project shifted to removing the old, highly contaminated reprocessing facilities and the facilities used in the solidification of the HLW. In 2018, DOE safely completed the demolition of the Vitrification Facility, a 50-foot tall, 10,000 square foot nuclear facility where the HLW was converted into glass. The demolition of the Vitrification Facility represented the largest and most complex demolition of a radioactively contaminated facility at the WVDP to date. Prior to that, the Department demolished the site’s 01-14 Building, a former building that treated processed off-gases from the Vitrification Facility and a number of support facilities. DOE is now preparing to embark on the demolition of the Main Plant Process Building (MPPB), the central facility used in the commercial spent nuclear fuel reprocessing operation. This facility is the largest and most contaminated building on the site. In preparing the MPPB for demolition, the Department of Energy removed a number of contaminated support facilities surrounding the MPPB, and completed extensive deactivation work inside the highly reinforced building before beginning the carefully planned, controlled and monitored demolition activity. The agency has also demolished over 40 additional site facilities and upgraded the site’s infrastructure to support the work, including the water supply, gas supply and distribution, electric service, and IT systems. Radiological, industrial, and environmental safety are foremost considerations in planning and executing demolition of the MPPB. The work planning process for the demolition of the MPPB brought to bear the extensive experience of the site’s workforce, industry best practices and lessons learned from the demolition of the Vitrification Facility and similar facilities across the country. Throughout the demolition work, onsite activities will be monitored and controlled in real-time to ensure worker, public and environmental safety. The Environmental Monitoring Program at the West Valley Demonstration Project has been part of the ongoing cleanup efforts since the beginning of the Project in 1982. The monitoring program includes sampling to evaluate the surface water, groundwater and air. Along with demolition air and radiation monitoring, on-site and off-site air, surface water, drinking water, sediment, soil, venison (deer), fish, milk, and food crop samples will be collected before, during, and after demolition. The goal of the extensive demolition activity air and radiation monitoring program is to detect any change in radiological conditions, so that work can be slowed, modified, or even stopped to protect employees, general public and the environment. The work is carefully planned and carried out such that all contamination is controlled within the boundaries of the demolition area. As DOE begins another important phase of the WVDP’s work at West Valley, we welcome all interested members of the public to attend our Quarterly Public Meetings and Citizen Task Force meetings to ask questions and hear about progress on this very important work. Site background information and all environmental information can also be found on the WVDP website at http://www.wv.doe.gov.
WIVB (Television Station: Buffalo, N.Y.)
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
Murphy, Kurt (WIVB-TV Graphic Arts Director)
Vetter, Tom (Editor)
Newberg, Rich (WIVB-TV Reporter)
D’Arrigo, Diane (Nuclear Information and Resource Service)
Resnikoff, Marvin (Nuclear Physicist)
Hameister, Joanne (The Coalition on West Valley Nuclear Wastes)
Vaughan, Ray (The Coalition on West Valley Nuclear Wastes)
Shepp, Amanda (Coordinator of Special Collections & Archives, SUNY Fredonia)
Pillittere, Joe (Communications Manager for West Valley contractor)
Bower, Brian (DOE Director for West Valley Demonstration Project)
Bembia, Paul (NYSERDA Director at West Valley)
Copyright held by WIVB-TV. Access to this digital version provided by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Videos or images in this collection are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the expressed written permission of WIVB-TV and the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
eng
Alphabet--Juvenile literature
Edward F. Ellis worked at the Buffalo Public Library at one time and, as collector, he amassed a vast collection of ABC books over the years. When he died in 1983, approximately 434 ABC books were books donated to the public library. Since 1984, the Ellis ABC Collection has grown to more than 700 American and International books from 1793 to the present.
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (Publisher of digital)
Rare Book Room of the B&ECPL (repository)
Digital image copyright 2020 by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Images in this collection are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the expressed written permission of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
Early Twentieth Century (1900-1925)
Curtiss Aeroplane & Motor Company, Buffalo Office & Lab Facilities, 1917-1919
World War (1914-1918)
Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company
Curtiss-Wright Corporation
Aircraft industry--United States--History.
Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company (later Curtiss-Wright Corporation) was based in Hammondsport and Bath, NY until the rise in military orders required the expansion of manufacturing operations into the city of Buffalo, along with its headquarters. By the start of World War I, the company was the preeminent manufacturer of airplanes in the United States, with three factories in Buffalo and 18,000 employees.
Photographs belong to the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum. Permission to digitize and display granted to the B&ECPL for the Buffalo Never Fails: The Queen City and World War I Exhibit. Additional information about the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum can be found at: https://www.glennhcurtissmuseum.org
Glenn H. Curtiss Museum
Digital image copyright 2017 by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Images in this collection are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the expressed written permission of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
The Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company (later Curtiss-Wright Corporation) was based in Hammondsport and Bath, NY until the rise in military orders required the expansion of manufacturing operations into the city of Buffalo, along with its headquarters. By the start of World War I, the company was the preeminent manufacturer of airplanes in the United States, with three factories in Buffalo and 18,000 employees. This photo album documents the building of the Elmwood Avenue Complex in Buffalo, NY. The photographs are dated from 8-18-1917 to 10-2-1917.
Love Canal Chemical Waste Landfill (Niagara Falls, N.Y.)
Radioactive waste sites -- New York (State)
Hazardous substances -- Law and legislation.
Industrial safety -- Law and legislation.
Chemicals -- Safety measures
Environmental Pollutants -- Poisoning.
Olin Corporation
Bethlehem Steel Corporation
Hooker Chemical Corporation
Lead poisoning
Donner-Hanna Coke Corporation
Republic Steel Corporation
Union Carbide Corporation
Chemicals--Fires and fire prevention
RIGHT TO KNOW LAWS In 1980, demands by Western New York union workers dealing with toxic chemicals reached a crescendo. They insisted on knowing the nature of the substances to which they were exposed, and the extent of that exposure on the job. Some were suffering from ailments they attributed to toxic exposure. As a result of their efforts and similar demands that were being made around the country, “Right to Know” laws were passed locally, statewide, and nationally, granting workers and citizens access to chemical information critical to their health and safety. The following series of WIVB-TV reports by Rich Newberg documents this critical period of awakening to environmental hazards. They were aired on WIVB-TV in 1980 and ’81. The same issues are surfacing again today. The incoming Biden administration is pledging to make environmental justice a top priority. The opening comment is from Lois Gibbs. In 1980 Ms. Gibbs and the Love Canal Homeowners Association successfully organized the relocation of more than 700 families whose homes were in the toxic Love Canal neighborhood of Niagara Falls, New York. Their efforts led to the creation of the nation’s Superfund, providing relief for toxic neighborhoods around the country. Her comments are provided courtesy of Harvard University, where she was interviewed as part of the “Voices From the Field Leadership Series” on April 10, 2014. [Total Running Time of Reports: 1:00:26] 1. ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST LOIS GIBBS REFLECTS BRIEFLY ON THE RIGHT TO KNOW “Voices from the Field” (series) Harvard University School of Public Health April 10, 2014 “Right to know actually started in the workplace, and then the workers moved it to the city level, then the county level, and then the state level. And then these various states did it, and the industry is going crazy because they’re filling out so many forms. And they said, we need a federal policy. This is insane.” (Runs: :14) 2. WORKERS RIGHT TO KNOW LAW [SERIES] “A Safe Place to Work?” WIVB-TV Impact Series 5 Parts / February 1980 (Runs: 14:40) Chemical and steel workers in the Buffalo-Niagara region demand to know the level of exposure to toxic substances in the workplace. There is increasing evidence that their health and safety are being compromised. Their efforts lead to the New York Right To Know Law, requiring industries to disclose the type of chemicals utilized in the workplace and the level of exposure to workers. Western New York ranks in the top 10% of cancer regions in the country. Cancer experts believe exposure to toxic chemicals in the workplace is largely to blame. This five part series by WIVB-TV reporter Rich Newberg takes viewers into the plants in question and explores the concerns expressed by workers who say they are suffering the consequences of exposure to dangerous chemicals. [Part 1] Workers at the Olin Chemical Plant in Niagara Falls, New York claim they are losing their hair and teeth due to exposure to mercury in a plant that produced chlorine. A year earlier Occupational Health and Safety inspectors find that controls were not implemented to reduce unsafe levels of exposure to mercury. While workers are given urine tests and the plant is making improvements, including a new ventilation system, the manager is unable to promise employees they will remain within federal safety limits of mercury exposure. He says in “certain operations it’s just not technically feasible to reduce the levels below that limit.” (Runs: 3:35) [Part 2] Bethlehem Steel workers in Lackawanna, New York are exposed to suspected lead dust in the 13 Inch Bar. It is described by United Steel Workers Local 2603 president Art Sambuchi as, “A big heavy air, orange in color. You can’t see ten, fifteen feet in front of you.” Workers in the mill staged a wildcat strike believing their safety has been compromised. At the same time, the federal government is investigating concerns that carcinogenic toxins from the coke ovens are exposing workers to dangerous carcinogens. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration finds 22 serious violations, indicating that workers are being exposed up to 13 times beyond the safe level of exposure to poisonous chemical emissions. Stanley Lukasik, a 58 year old retired coke oven supervisor who attributes his weak heart to his 36 years at the steel plant, says he proved in 1970 (ten years earlier) that emissions could be controlled, even without the use of sophisticated equipment, but that Bethlehem Steel ignored his suggestions. Mr. Lukasik dies of a heart attack eight days after being interviewed for the WIVB-TV “Right To Know” series. (Runs: 2:37) [Part 3] Joseph Pillittere of Niagara Falls, New York enters politics after working as a rocket test engineer at Bell Aerospace in Western New York. He believes several of his co-workers died as a result of chemical exposure while on the job. As a freshman Assemblyman-(D), Niagara Falls), Pillittere fights for a law that will give workers the right to know the chemicals they are exposed to in the workplace and the risks involved. Workers from all types of plants and mills in Western New York begin posting stickers demanding to know, “What’s In This Stuff?” Claiming their “safety and health is at stake,” they call for passage of the Right to Know Legislation. Momentum is building as a result of environmental tests conducted around Bloody Run Creek in Niagara Falls. Results show the presence of deadly dioxin dust in some factories upstream. Dioxin is considered one of the most deadly chemicals ever created. On December 20, 1979, the findings are announced to a cross section of workers who meet in Niagara Falls, New York. Assemblyman Pillittere presses federal health officials at the meeting, questioning why they were not aware of the fact that Tam Ceramics Company had closed one of its buildings that had been contaminated by dioxin dust. Pillittere realizes his legislation, if passed, would be costly to industry, but is willing to lose potential re-election support in order to fight for the rights of workers. He says, “It’s more important to be able to live with yourself, and If you can live with yourself and you get re-elected, it’s a plus. If you can live with yourself and you don’t get re-elected because of big money, at least you can say you always say that you did what you thought was right.” (Runs: 3:03) [Part 4] At a state conducted hearing in Niagara Falls, Garath Tubbs of the Worker’s Compensation Reform Coalition tells the story of an industrial painter who developed a condition that led to uncontrollable shaking and great pain. Chemical plant representatives from Niagara Falls also testify. Hooker Chemical Corp. Vice President of Operations Milo Harrison says his company is against new legislation that might lead to burdensome rules and regulations. He says Hooker is already studying workers’ health histories and releasing information to workers about hazardous chemicals. Jeanne Reilly, President of Technical Engineers Union Local 57 at Hooker Chemical testifies that she has yet to see the results of monitoring tests on her fellow workers. This, despite “numerous promises and statements of corporate policy.” (Runs: 2:27) [Part 5] (conclusion) Labor unions representing workers who deal with toxic chemicals call for a central agency that would deal with exposure on the job. Workers’ families, they say, have a right to know what’s being brought home. Western New York’s scientific community also calls on area industries provide more information about hazardous chemicals. Cancer researcher Beverly Paigen says, “Our knowledge is very limited in this area, partly because no records are kept of employee exposure, and no records are kept of occupational disease.” The initial driving political force behind the movement against chemical contamination has its roots in the Love Canal neighborhood. Residents of contaminated communities, along with workers are demanding that the government and industry be more responsive to the hazards of chemical exposure. Workers seek to know not just the trade name of the chemicals in the workplace, but the components as well. They also want to know if these chemicals accumulate in the human body to cause harm. Public awareness and sensitivity to the problems of chemical contamination of the environment, in neighborhoods and the workplace is growing, thanks to grass roots and media efforts to dig deeper into health and safety issues. (Runs: 2:35) 3. HOOKER CHEMICAL FIRES OUTSPOKEN WORKER The President of Technical Engineers Union Local 57 at Hooker Chemical is fired after testifying that she has yet to see the results of monitoring tests on her fellow workers. (Runs: 2:01) 4. NEW YORK STATE LAWMAKERS PASS WORKERS RIGHT TO KNOW BILL The New York State legislature passes the Workers Right to Know Bill. It gives workers the right to know the nature of hazardous chemicals in the workplace. The bill was first introduced by Niagara Falls Assemblyman Joe Pillittere. Senator John Daly handled the bill in the State Senate. (Runs: :38) 5. BETHLEHEM STEEL WORKERS SHUT DOWN 13” BAR MILL OVER LEAD DUST SAFETY ISSUES A wildcat strike by Bethlehem Steel workers shuts down the 13” bar mill. Workers say thick clouds of steel lead dust make breathing difficult. They have called on the company to install a proper ventilation system and allow studies to be conducted on medical histories of workers in the mill. (Runs: 1:42) 6. NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD RULES THAT STEEL WORKERS ARE ENTITLED TO THOUSANDS OF COMPANY FILES DATING BACK FIVE YEARS 1980 The National Labor Relations Board rules that the Steelworkers Union is entitled to thousands of Bethlehem Steel files dating back five years. The files will be used to determine whether exposure to potentially hazardous substances in the workplace may have impacted the health of workers. (Runs: 1:41) 7. BETHLEHEM STEEL COKE OVEN TOUR 1980 Reporters are given a tour of the coke ovens on the Bethlehem Steel site in Lackawanna. A $113 million dollar cleanup effort has cut back on harmful emissions. A year earlier federal health and safety inspectors found harmful emissions thirteen times greater than federal standards allow. (Runs: 1:42) 8. DONNER HANNA COKE EMISSIONS IMPACT QUALITY OF LIFE IN SOUTH BUFFALO NEIGHBORHOOD (2 PARTS) Black dust from the Donner Hanna Coke Company in South Buffalo is raining down on homes near the Bethlehem Steel plant in Lackawanna. The company’s huge ovens turn coal into coke for steel making. Residents, who refer to the pollutants as “the black rain,” learn that they are being exposed to harmful doses that can cause long term health problems. Some are already experiencing respiratory problems. The state says it will meet with Donner Hanna officials to discuss the issue. 1981 (Runs: 3:52) 9. 400 UNION LEADERS TAKE A STAND AGAINST ATTEMPTS TO TAKE POWER AWAY FROM THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION (2 PARTS) 1980 Western New York labor unions unite to fight proposed legislation that they claim would strip the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of its power. Congressmen representing the region, including Jack Kemp, come out against the Schweiker Bill. (Runs: 3:00) 10. SICK AND INJURED WORKERS TELL STATE LAWMAKERS THEY CAN BARELY SURVIVE ON CURRENT WORKERS COMPENSATION BENEFITS 1980 Workers injured on the job testify before state lawmakers that the compensation payments they receive have not kept up with the cost of living. Older workers, whose compensation rates were set in stone, do not qualify for increased payments that went into effect years later. Members of the state compensation board agree that the law must change. (Runs: 1:58) 11. FIGHTING CHEMICAL FIRES Special training for firefighters who need to understand the nature of lethal gases and smoke. 1981 (Runs: 1:31) 12. WESTERN NEW YORK CHEMICAL COMPANIES HAVE NO PLACE TO DUMP TOXIC WASTE 1981 Firefighters are trained to deal with toxic chemical blazes. Newer Scott Air Packs ensure against mask leakage. (Runs: 1:48) 13. 500 MILLION GALLONS OF CONTAMINATED WATER ARE BEING DUMPED INTO NIAGARA RIVER EVERY DAY ACCORDING TO NEW YORK PUBLIC INTEREST GROUP STUDY (3 PARTS) 1981 Chemical companies are running out of places to dump their hazardous wastes. Niagara Falls residents are concerned that current hazardous waste burial grounds may be expanding. The New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) says chemical companies have been dumping 500 Million gallons of contaminated water into the Niagara River every day. NYPIRG is concerned that the drinking water for 380,000 area residents may be polluted. The Chemical Manufacturers Association questions the NYPIRG findings and accuses the public interest group of putting jobs in jeopardy. The federal government will provide millions of dollars to improve processing at the Niagara Falls Waste Water Treatment Plant. NYPIRG faults the City of Niagara Falls for allowing Hooker Chemical’s S Dump to remain open. NYPIRG says the intake system there is contaminated and that tons of toxic chemicals are leaching into the Niagara Falls Water Filtration Plant. (Runs: 6:26) 14. REPUBLIC STEEL FILTERS OUT HARMFUL CHEMICALS —RETURNING CLEAN WATER TO BUFFALO RIVER 1980 Republic Steel says it has filtered out harmful chemicals and is returning clean wager to the Buffalo River. Reporters and government officials are given a tour of the $11 million dollar filtration system. Republic Steel had been cited in the past for water pollution violations. (Runs: 2:03) 15. RADIATION EXPOSURE DURING DEVELOPMENT OF THE ATOMIC BOMB AT LINDE PLANT TOWN OF TONAWANDA 1980 During the development of the atomic bomb, the Linde Division of Union Carbide in the Town of Tonawanda allowed up to 70 million gallons of radioactive liquid waste to be discharged into waste water wells on its property. The U.S. Department of Energy maintains the uranium concentrations in that waste were not significant enough to pose a health threat. Water samples are continuing around the Linde site. It was revealed that some Linde employees may not have been told they were working on the Manhattan project. Efforts are underway to find these employees and check their health records. (Runs: 1:52) 16. RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL SHIPMENTS FROM CANADA There is growing concern that shipment of radioactive material from Canada are going unreported as they enter Western New York. Buffalo lawmakers move toward initiating regulations that would alert localities when shipments are passing through on their roadways. (2 PARTS) 1981 (Runs: 4:57) 17. “THE PRICE WE PAY FOR LEAD” (2 PARTS) 8/1 - 8/2/1995 Even though lead paint was banned in 1978, Buffalo’s old housing stock makes residents vulnerable to exposure. Even lower levels can be harmful. Children have been poisoned, some suffering irreversible damage, including hyperactivity and learning disabilities. More than 61 percent of children in Erie County, ages 6 months to 5 years, are estimated to exceed the safety limits of lead in the blood. Black children, many from the inner city, make up 78 percent of youngsters treated for lead poisoning in Erie County. Lawsuits are filed against landlords in Buffalo who have failed to remove lead paint from their properties. However, defense attorneys say it is difficult to prove that exposure to lead paint is the cause of certain ailments. (Runs: 10:08)
Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Arts Director)
Gibbs, Lois (Environmental Activist)
Harvard University (School of Public Health)
Pillittere, Joseph (New York State Assemblyman)
Spatorico, Sal (Chemical Worker)
Sambuchi, Art (United Steel Workers Local 2603 President)
Lukasik, Stanley (Retired Steel Worker)
Reilly, Jeanne (Technical Engineers Local 57 President)
New York Public Interest Research Group
Pan-American Exposition (1901 : Buffalo, N.Y.)
Pan-American Exposition (1901 : Buffalo, N.Y.) -- Participation, Female.
Mounted newspaper clippings from local newspapers addressing a variety of topics concerning the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo. Special attention is paid to female participation, including the work of the Board of Women Managers appointed June 27, 1900 and disbanded November 10, 1901. Also contains information on how the Pan-Am was funded, how the midway was built, Dr. Ida Bender as chairman of the Committee on Education, the fainting room in the Women's Building, the advertising campaign for the Pan-Am, welcoming President McKinley, the assassination, and Czolgosz' arraignment.
Pan-American Exposition Scrapbooks, Women's Participation
Digital image copyright 2021 by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Images in this collection are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the expressed written permission of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
Pan-American Exposition postcards and passes, 1901
McKinley, William, 1843-1901-Assassination.
A collection of postcards (21) advertising the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York in 1901, and of passes (8) issued by the Exposition for admission either for a day or for the entire season. Includes one printed silk bookmark commemorating the "attempted assassination" of President William McKinley on Sep. 6, 1901. RBR WNYO.P365 Postcard of Albright Art Gallery gift of Ron Gorkiewicz, 2001. Postcard of Ethnology Building from Matilda Sturtzer donation. Pass belonging to Willis O. Chapin donated by Susie Coit Williams, 2019.
Digital collection copyright 2021 by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. This collection or portions thereof are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the expressed written permission of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
Funeral service in honor of William McKinley : our martyred President, September 15 1901, at the Milburn residence.
McKinley, William, 1843-1901-Death and burial.
Rare Book Room copy number 61 of 250; with portrait of President McKinley pasted on the upper cover; tied with a purple cord; includes a service bulletin from a memorial service in honor of President McKinley at the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church
Pan-American Exposition Scrapbooks, President William McKinley
City of Buffalo birth records: Mar.7, 1881 - Sept. 16,1881 [frame 2659]
Birth records from the City of Buffalo, primarily covering the mid to late 19th and early 20th century.
Grosvenor Room of B&ECPL (repository)
Digital image copyright 2023 by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Images in this collection are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the expressed written permission of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
City of Buffalo birth records: Mar.7, 1881 - Sept. 16,1881 [frame 2658]
City of Buffalo birth records: Mar.7, 1881 - Sept. 16,1881 [frame 2657]
City of Buffalo birth records: Mar.7, 1881 - Sept. 16,1881 [frame 2656]
City of Buffalo birth records: Mar.7, 1881 - Sept. 16,1881 [frame 2655]
City of Buffalo birth records: Mar.7, 1881 - Sept. 16,1881 [frame 2654]
City of Buffalo birth records: Mar.7, 1881 - Sept. 16,1881 [frame 2653]
City of Buffalo birth records: Mar.7, 1881 - Sept. 16,1881 [frame 2652]
City of Buffalo birth records: Mar.7, 1881 - Sept. 16,1881 [frame 2651]
City of Buffalo birth records: Mar.7, 1881 - Sept. 16,1881 [frame 2650]