1. Examination of New Jersey’s Superfund Sites with Lead Contamination
Introduction
Results
New Jersey is the state with the highest number of Superfund sites in the country with a total of 114 active sites on the EPA’s national priority list
Of the 114 total superfund sites in NJ, 71 of them have lead contamination
According to the 2012 census population estimates, Bergen is the most populated county in NJ, followed by Middlesex, then Essex County
There are a total of 2 superfund sites with lead contamination in Bergen, 10 in Middlesex, and 1 in Essex County
Improper disposal of hazardous wastes has lead to the contamination of many sites around the country. When this contamination occurs it can serve as a serious health risk and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) targets those areas as Superfund Sites. Either the EPA will get funds from the federal government or the party responsible for the contamination will clean it up. In this project, I will be exploring Superfund data in New Jersey while specifically focusing on lead contamination. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
County #
County Name 1
Sussex 2
Passaic 3
Bergen 4
Warren 5
Morris 6
Essex 7
Hudson 8
Union 9
Somerset 10
Hunterdon 11
Middlesex 12
Mercer 13
Monmouth 14
Burlington 15
Ocean 16
Camden 17
Gloucester 18
Atlantic 19
Salem 20
Cumberland 21
Cape May 14 16 15
Data 17 19
Conclusions 18
I am using data from TOXMAP which was developed by the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM). It incorporates data from the EPA regarding Superfund sites on their national priority list (NPL sites). I chose to specifically use active NPL sites in New Jersey and I specifically selected for New Jersey NPL sites containing lead contamination. I used NJ population data from a 2012 Census Bureau estimate that was displayed on US-Places website. 20
New Jersey has to handle its toxic waste disposal better as it is one of the most densely populated states with the largest amount of NPL sites. These NPL sites can be harmful to not only the environment, but to humans as well. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, lead has serious health risks as high exposure can cause kidney damage, brain damage, infertility, and cancer. This can be problematic for Middlesex County as it has the most amount of NPL sites with lead contamination in NJ while also being the second largest populated county. This can lead to a higher probability that people could be exposed to lead from these sites. Through viewing the presented data in Figures 1 and 2 you can see specifically how mapping population and Superfund data shows how this work ties together geography, health risks, and the environment. 21
Figure 1: Shows all of New Jersey’s active NPL Superfund sites with New Jersey’s population from a 2012 Census estimate.
Data: NLM TOXMAP, EPA NPL, 2012 Census estimate.
Methods
With NJ population data from a 2012 census estimate, a thematic map of county populations was created in ArcMap through a Jenks Natural Breaks classification. I obtained data regarding NPL sites from TOXMAP. I selected for all sites in NJ then specifically filtered for only NPL sites with lead contamination. From the downloaded selection, I chose to only include active NPL sites and removed any proposed or inactive sites from the list. I mapped all of this data to show all of NJ’s Superfund sites and Superfund sites with lead contamination. I displayed the sites location based on its longitude and latitude coordinates. Through selecting by location in ArcMap, I was able to plot NPL sites with lead contamination specifically in three of NJ’s most populated counties. One limitation of mapping this way is that it only plots sites based on its location and does not represent how contaminated the site is as some sites may be more hazardous than others.
Bibliography
US Library of Medicine. TOXMAP Environmental Health Maps.
US-Places New Jersey Population by County – Total Residence.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention Health Problems cause by Lead.
United States Environmental Protection Agency. Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) Sites.
Created by: Domenico DiSalvo
Figure 2: Shows New Jersey’s estimated population from a 2012 census estimate with (a) all of NJ’s active superfund sites with lead contamination and (b) active superfund sites with lead contamination in Bergen, Middlesex, and Essex County.
Data: NLM TOXMAP, EPA NPL, 2012 Census estimate.