Waste sites in residential areas linked to an increase in disease

An excavator collects waste from Manhattan for disposal.
An excavator collects waste from Manhattan for disposal.

Gary Miller, Photographer. NARA record: 8464459. Public domain

Related Topics:
Climate, Infrastructure, Pollution

Studies show that communities near landfills face increased exposure to toxic “forever chemicals” that may pose significant health risks. For Long Island residents in New York State living near legacy landfill sites, escaping these chemicals may become impossible.

Concerns about these “forever chemicals” and their risks continue to grow. The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services describes “forever chemicals” as synthetic chemicals, often used commercially or industrially, that are particularly resistant to breaking down. These chemicals are especially prevalent near landfill sites.

The presence of toxic chemicals near landfill sites has sparked outcries from nearby residents. According to Suffolk County legislator Rebecca Sanin, who served as the former Health and Welfare Council CEO, “Living near dump sites leads to increased asthma and respiratory distress depending on other kinds of autoimmune issues and other kinds of health challenges.”

Confronting the legacy of pollution

Landfills can have detrimental impacts on both the communities and environments they are built in, polluting water sources with “forever chemicals” and lowering the value of nearby homes, according to a study published in PubMed.

The environmental consequences of dumping this toxic waste can harm surrounding communities and pollute their water supplies for generations.

The superintendent of the Hicksville Water District, Paul Granger said, “The legacy landfills have already impacted the groundwater contamination, it’s kind of co-mingled, and water systems are probably seeing the impacts from sins of the past.”

According to the Nassau Suffolk Water Commissioners’ Association, all of Long Island is dependent on Groundwater Aquifers for clean water. Granger said, “our water comes from groundwater, and we live, work, and play on top of our water supply.” 

With all of Long Island’s communities dependent on groundwater, the problem of contamination becomes detrimental to local communities.

On Long Island, the impacts of landfills on public health can be seen ravaging local communities. In the town of Brookhaven, an elementary school was built less than a mile from a notorious waste dumping facility. According to the Stony Brook School of Social Welfare, 35 faculty members have since contracted cancer-related diseases. Of those 35 teachers, 11 have died.

Brookhaven and New York state officials have denied any correlations between this landfill site and illness within the surrounding community, stating that there is no statistical significance in this data.

Even with constant advancements in the field of waste management, landfills continue to grow in size across America, according to a study published by Geosciences. This is due to landfills having the lowest cost of operation out of any waste site as well as a lack of regulations.

Research done by Verisk Maplecroft, a waste management company, found that the United States, while only accounting for 4% of the world’s population, produces 12% of global municipal waste.

Global waste production continues to skyrocket, with the United States ranking second in worldwide average production. (Global Waste Index: https://sensoneo.com/global-waste-index)

According to a review published in the Wiley Online Library, lead exposure is just one of the many risks faced by communities living near landfills. The review determined that there had been direct increases in blood lead levels, particularly in children, in populations that lived near or on-top of landfill sites.

The World Health Organization states that lead exposure in children can lead to permanent developmental disorders and even convulsions and death, in high enough quantities. Even lower levels of lead exposure, experienced by populations near landfill sites, remain detrimental to child development, lowering IQ points, reducing attention span, and increasing antisocial disorders.

Another major concern is exposure to Polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, which can remain in soil and water supplies almost indefinitely. These chemicals can pose significant health risks to the general population, according to The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

Sanin emphasized the potential dangers of these chemicals, saying, “We worry PFAS in our water supply… I am concerned about all chemicals and carcinogens and how they impact our crops and the soil we grow them in.”

PFAS are chemicals that are designed to have non-stick and stain-resistant properties, according to an article published by the U.S Government Accountability Office. These chemicals are found in many common household items, ranging from non-stick pans to carpets. Even products that are meant to be used daily such as toothpaste and dental floss have been found to contain these chemicals. 

A survey by the Government Accountability Office found that 77% of public water systems have not enforced measures to fully remove PFAS from water supplies. The companies in charge of running these public water systems often are uninformed on the dangers of these chemicals and how to properly remove them from drinking water supplies. 

There has been at least one PFAS chemical found in 45% of America’s total drinking water, according to a study published in the Environment International Journal. This study further noted that every single American has faced some form of PFAS exposure in their lifetime. 

When exposed to these chemicals for prolonged periods of time, people may suffer enzyme changes, according to The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, which can affect an individual’s ability to process cholesterol and regulate their liver, wreaking havoc on their daily life. These chemicals have also been known to weaken immune system response, especially in immunocompromised groups.

Within communities that are exposed to these chemicals, there are higher rates of kidney and testicular cancers, according to a study published in Pubmed. The study claims, “Increases in risk of adverse health effects have been reported near individual landfill sites and in some multisite studies.”

Forever chemicals aren’t the only issue caused by landfills

Landfills are responsible for the production of landfill gas emissions, known as LFGs. These gases further pollute the environment and even directly contribute to global warming. LFGs form when the organic materials within the waste decompose, often due to sun exposure, and can continue emissions for upwards of 20 years, according to a study published by Geosciences

When these landfills are exposed to rain, toxic chemicals known as leachates begin to seep into the groundwater and soil around the site. These leachates carry a variety of toxic heavy metals and chemicals that lead to long-term pollution of a community’s environment and agriculture, according to the study.

This problem becomes increasingly prevalent when looking at how socioeconomic factors can play a role in a persons level of exposure. Low-income communities are often disproportionately affected by these dangerous chemicals coming from waste sites, as stated in a paper published by Taylor and Francis.

According to Sanin, “folks who are harming our environment are often doing so in low-income communities, so it has a huge factor, a huge impact, that people are often disproportionately exposed to environmental hazards.” 

This is due to the ever-growing issue of environmental racism. Environmental racism refers to the deliberate placement of environmental hazards and contaminants in both communities of color and communities of low-income, according to a study published in the Environmental Research Letters. Communities that face these issues are known as environmental justice communities.

Though public concerns continue to grow, work is being done across Long Island to combat these issues. Sanin said, “Long Island has grants available to communities to do mitigation work when they are deemed an environmental justice community.” 

Grants aren’t the only way Long Island is combating this crisis as environmental scientists are constantly working on new technology. Granger said, “Our budget for laboratory analysis of pre-emerging contaminants, around 2019 or even earlier, was about $100,000, now we’re spending close to $250,000.” These budget increases are due to technological improvements, which allows for better detection of potential contaminants. 

In 2023, New York Governor Kathy Hochul allocated $3.5 million towards New York environmental justice initiatives, with $200,000 being put towards projects in Long Island, according to New York State’s government website.

Sanin said, “That’s really what this is about, making sure that we’re doing the mitigation work and that we’re preventing future harm to our land.”

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