Indicator Profile of Environmental Hazard Sites
Why Is This Important?
Unborn children are highly susceptable to a variety of environmental toxins resulting from maternal exposure during pregnancy. The health consequences of the mother's exposure to hazardous environmental contaminates can effect the child's development and quality of life through their lifetime.Depending on the site, there are a large variety of different chemicals or pollutants that could be contaminating air, water, and land. Some examples of these chemicals are heavy metals such as arsenic and lead, and organic compounds such as PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls). These chemicals are known to cause a variety of health problems in those who are exposed to them including birth defects, cancers, developmental and learning problems, and the development of chronic health problems later in life.
Percentage of Births Within Varying Distances of a NPL/CERCLA/TRI Environmental Hazard Site, Utah, 1989-2004
Other Views
Definition
NPL, CERCLA, and TRI sites contain or release hazardous contaminants that may pose a public health threat. The health risk posed by each site depends on the type and amount of hazardous materials at or released by the site.CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act) sites, also known as superfund sites, have been determined to pose a threat to human health due to their known or suspected history of toxic contamination and the potential for human exposure to those contaminants. The NPL (National Priorities List) is a list of CERCLA sites that have been prioritized as the most significant threat to human health and are at the top of the list to be cleaned up. For more information on CERCLA and NPL sites, visit the ATSDR at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/cercla/.
TRI (Toxic Release Inventory) sites are places of business and industry that are required to report data on releases and transfer of certain toxic chemicals and pollutants released to the environment. For more information on the TRI, visit the EPA at http://www.epa.gov/tri/
How We Calculated the Rates
| Numerator: | Bar Graph: Number of births within varying distances of environmental hazard site. / Line Graph: Number of low birth weight births within varying distances of environmental hazard site. |
| Denominator: | Bar Graph: Total number of births in the state. / Line Graph: Total number of births within varying distances of environmental hazard site. |
Page Content Updated On 01/15/08,
Published on 02/04/08
