The first Earth Day had the largest demonstration with twenty million people participating, creating the next great wave of environmentalists. The Love Canal neighborhood was a toxic waste dump. He had twenty thousand tons of poisonous chemicals buried underground that seeped into the homes and schools of his residences. Lois Gibbs led the movement against Love Canal when she read an article by Michael Brown that exposed the problem. Gibbs discovered that most of the elementary school children in the neighborhood were sick due to chemical residues in the school's basement. The chemical leak also caused birth defects and miscarriages. Lois Gibbs fought and protested vigorously for two years until the state was forced by the federal government to evacuate and relocate Love Canal's.