Proximity to Superfund Sites [Washington (State)]
State of Washington Geospatial Open Data Portal · 2025 Full Details
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Full Details
- Title
- Proximity to Superfund Sites [Washington (State)]
- Description
- This data is included as part of the Environmental Health Disparities Version 3.0 map. To see this map, visit our webpage . For more technical information on this map and the model used, visit our technical report (link) . Background Superfund sites are areas where significant amounts of hazardous waste have been released. This is often a result of past industrial activities, such as manufacturing or mining. The chemicals from these sites can contaminate the soil, water, and air. This leads to significant environmental and public health risks. Sites that handle highly toxic substances are required by the EPA to follow Risk Management Plans (RMP) with the EPA to prevent accidents. But, when contamination does happen, cleaning up these sites is slow, and the risks can last a long time. People who live near Superfund sites are frequently exposed to higher levels of harmful chemicals. New facilities are often placed in communities with more people of color and Indigenous people, perpetuating environmental racism. About 21 million Americans live within one mile of a Superfund site. Living near these sites increases the risk of health problems due to exposure to toxic chemicals. The health risks from Superfund sites are often made worse by socioeconomic challenges. Many Superfund sites are located in communities of color, communities with less economic access, or linguistically isolated communities. People living next to Superfund sites are more likely to be from historically minoritized groups, with race being a stronger predictor than income or homeownership. People without a high school education are also more likely to live near Superfund sites. Evidence Living near Superfund sites increases the risk of being exposed to dangerous chemicals in the soil, water, or air [1]. It is linked to health issues such as low birth weight, lung disease, cancer, and neurological damage [2, 3]. Superfund sites are often located near historically minoritized communities and those with less economic access that are already facing environmental burdens [4]. Studies suggest these communities are also more likely to be chosen for new Superfund sites. Therefore, extra care should be taken in deciding where to build federally funded housing projects [5, 6]. Indigenous people are more likely to live near toxic waste sites [7]. Gerrymandering is the practice of changing political boundaries for political gain. Gerrymandering has been found to help reduce pollution in certain areas but can also lead to fewer Black people living there [8]. Black women living near Superfund sites have been found to have higher levels of certain metals in their bodies than their white counterparts. This suggests higher exposure due to residential segregation and environmental disparities [9]. People who live closer to a Superfund site were also found to have higher levels of pesticides in their blood. This supports the theory that communities living near Superfund sites face a combination of environmental stressors [10]. Data source Ecology Superfund Sites Method This measure estimates how close Superfund sites are to people living across Washington by calculating the distance between the facilities and residents of various census tracts. First, all Superfund sites within 10 kilometers of each census block group were identified. Then, the individual blocks within each block group were evaluated, with each block receiving a score based on how close it was to nearby waste sites. The block scores were calculated using the sum of the inverse distances between the block"s center and the location of nearby facilities—so the closer a facility was to a block, the higher its contribution to the overall score. Blocks with no facilities within 10 km of their block group received a score of zero. Finally, a population-weighted average was used to score census tracts based on their contained blocks. Caveats This method assumes the population-weighted centroid represents the entire area. This isn"t always true. In large or oddly shaped tracts, most people may live far from the centroid. This could make the proximity score less accurate. This method only measures straight-line distance from the centroid to the site. It does not include factors like wind patters, terrain, or transportation routes, which can affect how pollutants spread. As a result, the real exposure risks might not be fully reflected. This measure represents the entire census tract and does not represent each individual community within the tract. These data should always be supplemented with local data and equitable engagement for more accurate insights. Sources Zota, A. R., Schaider , L. A., Ettinger, A. S., Wright, R. O., Shine, J. P., & Spengler, J. D. (2011). Metal sources and exposures in the homes of young children living near a mining-impacted Superfund site. Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, 21 (5), 495-505. Ala, A., Stanca, C. M., Bu-Ghanim, M., Ahmado , I., Branch, A. D., Schiano, T. D., & Odin, J. A. (2006). Increased prevalence of primary biliary cirrhosis near Superfund toxic waste sites. Hepatology, 43 (3), 525-531. Baibergenova , A., Kudyakov , R., Zdeb, M., & Carpenter, D. O. (2003). Low birth weight and residential proximity to PCB-contaminated waste sites. Environmental Health Perspectives, 111 (10), 1352-1357. Kearney, G. D., & Kiros, G.-E. (2009). A spatial evaluation of socio demographics surrounding National Priorities List sites in Florida using a distance-based approach. International Journal of Health Geographics, 8 , Article 33. Mohai , P., & Saha, R. (2015). Which came first, people or pollution? Assessing the disparate siting and post-siting demographic change hypotheses of environmental injustice. Environmental Research Letters, 10 (11), 115008. UAB Human Rights. (2021). People of color live disproportionately close to Superfund sites. University of Alabama at Birmingham. https://sites.uab.edu/humanrights/2021/01/15/people-of-color-live-disproportionately-close-to-superfund-sites/ Chong, K., & Basu, N. (2024). Contaminated sites and Indigenous peoples in Canada and the United States: A scoping review. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, 20 (5), 1306-1329. Kramar, D. E., Anderson, A., Hilfer, H., Branden, K., & Gutrich , J. J. (2018). A spatially informed analysis of environmental justice: analyzing the effects of gerrymandering and the proximity of minority populations to US Superfund sites. Environmental Justice, 11 (1), 29-39. Christensen, K. (2023). The price of proximity: Black women disproportionately exposed to Superfund metals. Environmental Health Perspectives, 131 (8), Article 084001. Gaffney, S. H., Curriero , F. C., Strickland, P. T., Glass, G. E., Helzlsouer , K. J., & Breysse , P. N. (2005). Influence of geographic location in modeling blood pesticide levels in a community surrounding a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site. Environmental Health Perspectives, 113 (12), 1712-1716. Citation Washington Tracking Network, Washington State Department of Health. Web. "Proximity to Superfund Sites". Data obtained from the Department of Ecology, 2025 Data. Published September 2025.
- Creator
- WADOH
- Publisher
- State of Washington Geospatial Open Data Portal
- Temporal Coverage
- Last Modified: 2025-07-18
- Date Issued
- 2025-07-08
- Rights
- Neither the Washington State Department of Health (WADOH), nor any agency, officer, or employee of the WADOH warrants the accuracy, reliability or timeliness of any information published by this system, nor endorses any content, viewpoints, products, or services linked from this system, and shall not be held liable for any losses caused by reliance on the accuracy, reliability, or timeliness of such information. Portions of such information may be incorrect or not current. Any person or entity who relies on any information obtained from this system does so at their own risk.
- Access Rights
- Public
- Format
- ArcGIS FeatureLayer
- Language
- English
- Date Added
- February 02, 2026
- Provenance Statement
- The metadata for this resource was last retrieved from State of Washington Geospatial Open Data Portal on 2026-02-02.
Cite and Reference
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Citation
WADOH (2025). Proximity to Superfund Sites [Washington (State)]. State of Washington Geospatial Open Data Portal. https://geo.wa.gov/datasets/d3d37cbd34e54569b8c3b7dd59afdb91_0 (web service) -
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