"New research suggests that living near hazardous waste is, unsurprisingly, harmful to health and longevity. The study found a clear link between lower life expectancy and living near a waste site, with residents in poorer neighborhoods possibly losing as much as a year of life.
Researchers at the University of Houston and the University of Texas at Austin analyzed census data collected in 2018 from across the country, focusing specifically on neighborhoods where a Superfund site was nearby. These sites are areas of land designated by the Environmental Protection Agency to be so polluted that they’re required to be cleaned up by the responsible parties—a process that can take years or decades. They’re often caused by spills from manufacturing or processing plants or the result of intentional and improper disposal of hazardous waste; thousands of these sites dot the country.
The team’s model estimated that living near one of these sites could lead to two months of lowered life expectancy, when compared to similarly matched people living elsewhere. But Superfunds are often found in neighborhoods where people are already worse off in their health and socioeconomic status. And when the team tried to account for these other factors, they found that Superfund sites in disadvantaged communities could cause about 15 months of lowered life expectancy.New research suggests that living near hazardous waste is, unsurprisingly, harmful to health and longevity. The study found a clear link between lower life expectancy and living near a waste site, with residents in poorer neighborhoods possibly losing as much as a year of life."
Ed Cara reports for Earther April 14, 2021.
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