Resources

United States Interactive Map

This interactive mapping tool allows users to view the most up to date locations of America’s Superfund sites

For more information on how Superfund sites are affecting New Jersey, check out:

• The Environmental Protection Agency

• EPA NJ

• The NJ Department of Environmental Protection

• Northjersey.com

• NJDEP Bureau of GIS

• Sierra Club

What is a Superfund Site?

IThousands of contaminated sites exist nationally due to hazardous waste being dumped, left out in the open, or otherwise improperly managed. These sites include manufacturing facilities, processing plants, landfills and mining sites.

In response, Congress established the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) in 1980.  

CERCLA is informally called Superfund. It allows EPA to clean up contaminated sites. It also forces the parties responsible for the contamination to either perform cleanups or reimburse the government for EPA-led cleanup work.

Superfund sites start out as regular areas that are then polluted. This pollution is generally due to individuals, governments, or companies:

• Lacking regulation

• Dumping industrial trash

• Spilling toxic chemicals

• Mining Sites 

Why Is This A Problem?

Toxic substances have an effect on all surrounding living organisms. Not only is the damage local, but it can also be widespread due to runoff, polluted waterways, and biomagnification. Illnesses to humans caused by these sites include:

• Cancer

• Asthma

• Seizures

• Hormonal Disorders

Studies have also shown that area with superfund sites have an overall lesser life expectancy, which is amplified in marginalized areas

Looking at a map, it is easy to see that a majority of New Jersey’s Superfund sites are found in urban and marginalized areas. Additionally, lower socioeconomic groups and people of color are far more likely to be affected, with a recent study stating “80% of the U.S. population live within 10 km of at least one Superfund site, with nearly 60% of them residing in areas lacking any cleanup efforts. Asian, Black, and disadvantaged populations are found to be disproportionately overrepresented in Superfund host block groups”

Additionally, “New Jersey’s low-income communities and communities of color have been historically subject to a disproportionately high number of environmental and health stressors. Among these stressors include pollution from numerous industrial and pollution facilities, such as superfund sites, located in these communities. As a result of constant exposure to toxic sites, people living in these communities are more likely to suffer from adverse health effects including asthma, cancer, elevated blood lead levels, cardiovascular disease, and developmental disorders”