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     Cactus Salad

4 cups cooked cactus, chopped1 cup chopped tomato
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup corn
2 cans black beans
1 cup Mexican cheeses

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Add vinegar, salt and pepper to taste

1953, New York, U.S.

Love Canal, a small town in upstate New York near Niagara Falls, was destroyed by waste from chemical plants. Beginning in 1947, chemical companies could legally dump their waste products into the canal. In the 1950s, families began to settle in the area without being told about the waste and the health problems it might cause. The area developed a foul smell, trees lost their bark, and leaves fell throughout the year. In the 1970s, scientists found that the drinking water contained excessive levels of 82 industrial chemicals, 7 of which were thought to cause cancer. The people of Love Canal had an unusually high rate of cancer and birth defects. Eventually, many of the houses had to be abandoned. By the 1990s, the town had been cleaned up enough for families to begin moving back to the area.