(WSVN) - Would you know if you lived near a hazardous waste site? A new list shows how many are scattered across the country, including right here in South Florida.
According to Time Magazine, there are 1,317 locations in the U.S., called “Superfund” sites by the Environmental Protection Agency, where toxic chemicals were dumped. Over decades, such pollution contaminates surrounding soil, water, and air.
“The Superfund list contains the worst of toxic sites in the U.S. — it’s really the nasty places,” Chris Portier, former director of the Agency for Toxic Substances, told Time. The agency is a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which determines each site’s hazard level.
Often coming from factories and landfills, toxic waste sites are typically in highly-populated areas. Time reports that New Jersey tops the list of the most toxic sites in the U.S., and is the densest state by population.
In South Florida, the EPA says there are 11 Superfund sites: 6 in Miami-Dade, and 5 in Broward. A study specific to Florida determined that people living in counties with hazardous waste sites were 6 percent more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than those not living in close proximity to such sites.
Emily Leary co-authored the study as a graduate student at the University of Florida in Gainesville, and believes toxic chemicals from Superfund sites are being spread through Florida’s surface water.
“A lot of cancer research has looked at air pollution and cancer, but very few have looked at other modes of transportation for toxins,” Leary told Time.
Because cancer registries do not normally include where a patient lived when they received a diagnosis, scientists cannot yet definitively link proximity to Superfund sites as a cause. According to Time, Leary’s findings recommend additional studies be conducted.
However, Portier says Leary’s study has merit. He pointed out how his former agency found elevated cancer risks in Marines and their families who drank water from wells near chemical dump sites at Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
The EPA’s Superfund program aims to clean up hazardous waste sites, but may face budget cuts under President Trump, who proposed slashing the EPA’s funding by 31 percent.
To see Superfund sites near you, visit the EPA’s website.
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