Superfund sites could reduce the life expectancy for people living in nearby communities by as much as 1.2 years, according to a new study from researchers with The University of Texas at Austin and the University of Houston.
In the first nationwide study of its kind, a team including researchers from UT Austin’s Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences used advanced statistical modeling techniques at the census tract level to examine the impact of contaminated areas in unprecedented detail.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, a Superfund site refers to thousands of sites that exist “nationally due to hazardous waste being dumped, left out in the open, or otherwise improperly managed.” This includes manufacturing facilities, processing plants, landfills and mining sites.
These places tend to negatively affect nearby air, water and soil quality, meaning those living in close proximity are potentially exposed to toxic chemicals through dermal contact, ingestion and inhalation.
Although 1,300 hazardous sites are officially counted on the EPA’s National Priorities List, significantly more are thought to exist nationwide. The study, published in the most recent edition of Nature Communications, assesses the impact of a total of 11,989 identified Superfund sites “currently on the list, proposed to be on the list, removed from the list, waiting to become part of the list and sites that are not overseen by the EPA.”
