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Decades of improper and inadequate disposal of toxic substances have left a nation-wide legacy of hazardous waste sites that are potentially dangerous to public health and the environment. We are currently incurring the costs of cleaning up contamination caused by our predecessors, and unless sufficient remedial actions are taken, these costs will be passed on to future generations. Realizing a path of sustainable development depends on our being able to halt the improper disposal of toxic substances and to restore those sites that are already contaminated.
The extent and nature of the risks associated with contaminated sites are not fully known, but regulatory and technological processes are now in place to control the toxic pollution from these sites. In 1980, Congress passed the first comprehensive Federal law--the Comprehensive Environ mental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), commonly known as "Superfund"-- to address abandoned and uncontrolled hazardous waste sites. Superfund activities include identifying and classifying sites; responding to emergencies and immediate threats; and studying, designing, and constructing long-term solutions to clean up hazardous waste sites and restore natural resources.
In administering the Superfund Program, EPA is required to focus on those sites where contamination presents the most serious threat to human health and the environment. These sites are placed on the National Priority List (NPL). Through September 1998, over 41,500 potentially hazardous waste sites have been identified; and of this total, 1,436 sites are currently listed on the NPL as follows: 66 proposed, 1194 final, and 176 deleted.
The EPA continues to remove sites from CERCLIS after determining no further federal Superfund work is needed. Through the end of FY98, the total number of sites removed rose to 31,000. Sites removed from CERCLIS are not necessarily clean, but based on current information, they are not targeted for further work under the Federal Superfund Program. However, the states are informed about sites removed from CERCLIS and they may conduct further work on the sites. In FY95, EPA's Superfund program removed 24,000 sites with no further Federal Superfund interest from the active inventory of CERCLIS sites in support of the Agency's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative.
Fifty million people live within four miles of the NPL sites, but living near a site does not necessarily put people at risk. A risk assessment is to be conducted at each site, and appropriate immediate and long-term response actions are implemented depending on the amount and toxicity of the hazardous wastes and the potential for human and environmental exposure.
If there is an immediate threat at either an NPL or non-NPL site, emergency clean-up actions are taken to ensure safety. Between 1980 and 1997, over 2,500 removals and emergency actions have been taken to remove immediate threats. As part of these actions, 14,341 people have been relocated and 338,767 people have been provided with alternative water supplies.
After emergency actions have been taken, long-term actions are initiated to clean up contaminated sites permanently. EPA has initiated or completed construction activity--rapid action or long-term cleanups--at 72% of the sites on the NPL. Construction has been completed at over 585 sites--40% of the sites on the NPL.
Link(s) to national databases (also see section on Related Internet Links):
http://www.sdi.gov/indicators/lc_sfund.htm
Last Modified: May 14, 2002