Low birth weight is not a trivial matter. Beverly Paigen and others conducted a general health survey with interviewers inquiring about physician-diagnosed complaints of the parents of 523 Love Canal and 440 control children. They found a significant excess of seizures, learning disabilities, hyperactivity, eye irritation, skin rashes, abdominal pain, and incontinence in Love Canal children. The physical differences could not be explained by chronic illnesses, race, height of parents, socioeconomic status, nutrition, stress, or birth weight. Taken together, these studies leave little doubt that living near Love Canal had negative effects on reproduction, development, growth and health of children.
Voles are small mouse-like mammals.
The 42 million pounds of chemicals have never been removed from Love Canal. Now Governor Mario Cuomo has given his personal approval to a plan to move poor families back into homes near Love Canal. Chemical dumps are something our children can live with. New York State Office of Public Health, 1978.