Priority Area: Healthy Environment - Hazardous Waste Sites

Reducing Exposure to hazardous Waste

Exposure to hazardous waste that was disposed of improperly and petroleum or chemicals that were spilled can cause people to be injured or become ill. New York State is committed to eliminating or reducing these exposures by investigating circumstances and incidents that may cause exposure, and taking steps to remove or clean up the contaminant, and protect the public.

Objectives

  • By the year 2012, minimize or eliminate the risks to human health via inhalation of contaminated air from soil vapor intrusion at Legacy Sites in NYS. Legacy sites are inactive hazardous waste sites that were remediated before New York State began investigating soil vapor intrusion.
  • Evaluate the potential for human exposure to contaminated air in structures from soil vapor intrusion at 100% of the 421 legacy sites in NYS.
  • Minimize or eliminate the risks to human health from soil vapor intrusion at 100% of the Legacy Sites where investigations show interventions are necessary.

Data and Statistics

  • The Legacy List (List of inactive hazardous wastes sites with pre-2003 remedial decisions where disposal of chlorinated hydrocarbons occurred)

Return on Investment

As of January 2009, 405 mitigation systems have been installed on structures to minimize or eliminate exposures at 55 of the Legacy Sites. Ongoing monitoring is being conducted at 156 structures at 24 Legacy Sites.

Resources

More Information

Bureau of Environmental Exposure Investigation
New York State Department of Health
547 River Street, Room 300
Troy, NY 12180
Environmental Health Information Line: 1-800-458-1158 ext. 2-7850
email: BEEI@health.state.ny.us